The Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota independently evaluated the program. The evaluation drew on participant surveys and interviews with MNMA and SPNN project partners and facilitators.
CAREI found that participants increased their understanding of media preservation, strengthened their confidence, and identified practical next steps for protecting their collections. The evaluation also confirmed the value of hands-on demonstrations, peer discussion, and partnerships in building Minnesota’s community media preservation capacity.
Key Findings
• 96% agreed that preservation outcomes improve when all five preservation steps are completed.
• 96% reported being more likely to take preservation action.
• 96% reported a better understanding of how preservation applies in real-world settings.
• 92% reported increased confidence in their preservation efforts.
• 43% planned to share what they learned with others.
• 69% participated in both the webinar and an in-person workshop.
Participants especially valued real-world panel discussions, digitization demonstrations, preservation planning, metadata and documentation, collection organization, and practical guidance on stabilizing, storing, and sharing media. The evaluation concluded that the program successfully advanced all four of its intended goals: increasing preservation knowledge and skills, demonstrating the value of hands-on learning, strengthening understanding of sustainable archiving practices, and contributing to the preservation of Minnesota’s cultural heritage.
Why This Educational Workshop Matters
The evaluation confirmed one of the program’s central messages: media preservation is more than digitization. Successful preservation also requires collection assessment, stabilization, inventory, metadata, organization, storage, rights awareness, access planning, and long-term stewardship.
Participants left the program with greater confidence, clearer action plans, stronger professional connections, and increased awareness of preservation resources. At the same time, the evaluation identified continuing barriers, including limited staffing, time, funding, equipment, and access to technical assistance.
Available resources upon request:
• Recorded 4/20/26 86:00 webinar replay
• Workshop demonstration recordings
• Media preservation toolkit
• CAREI Executive Summary
• Future program and technical-assistance updates
• Revised Download Listing
2 - CAREI Program Evaluation Executive Summary — Read the University of Minnesota’s independent evaluation of the Community Media Preservation Strategies and Archiving Program. (1.5 MB PDF)
Links:
"Media preservation is more than converting tapes to files — it’s a thoughtful process of care, organization, and access. Through these workshops, SPNN and Minnesota Media Arts empower communities to plan, stabilize, digitize, and share the voices that define Minnesota’s cultural legacy."
View the Media Preservation and Archiving Workshops short promo video:
Participation in the Community Media Preservation Strategies and Archiving Workshops was essential. Thank you for helping us preserve the past for the future.
This program is a partnership between Minnesota Media Arts (MNMA) and St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN).
This program has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.
