Preservation is the appropriate housing, protection, care and maintenance of archives, records and manuscripts. It should be taken seriously in order to preserve the cultural, social and technical context of our heritage. This study investigates the preservation of library resources in Nigerian universities via a study of collections in Cross River State universities. Through descriptive survey research design, the study adopts Ruskin’s theory of preservation (Ruskin, 1989) with an emphasis on the seven lamps of architecture. The application of the theory is used to assess the form of the resources, understand the preservation problems encountered in the libraries and determine if the libraries were insured against disaster. To achieve this, census sampling technique identified twenty-eight academic librarians to participate in the study. Questionnaires, interviews and direct observation of the collections in the libraries were used to collect data. The result of the analysis revealed that paper was the major form of resources stocked in the libraries. This meant that the library encountered some preservation problems. The results also revealed that rodents, insects, gaseous pollutants and many more were some of the preservation problems encountered in the libraries. The libraries were not insured against disaster. It was recommended that adequate storage facilities should be provided for appropriate housing, care, protection and maintenance of collections in the libraries. There should be, among other things, a disaster management plan in order to preserve library resources in Nigerian universities
