Anatomy of a Local History Collection Policy

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Anatomy of a Local History Collection Policy
Terri Dood Bozeman Public Library
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Overview

• Purpose and scope
• Purchases, gifts, and loans
• Statement of Gift
• Discarding
• Cooperative Agreements (optional)

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Purpose and Scope

• Introduction
• Geographic area
• Time period to be covered
• Materials to be collected
• Materials NOT collected

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Introduction

• The purpose of the Collections Management Policy
  of the Research Center is to help clarify, guide,
  and direct current and future activities in the
  growth and maintenance of the Research Centers
  collections.
• (MT Historical Society)

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Geographic Area

• The Local History Collection is an accumulation
  of materials which provide information concerning
  Oxnard and Ventura County history. (Oxnard)
• The purpose of the Willingboro Local History
  collection is to preserve materials that document
  the history of Willingboro, and to make these
  materials available to researchers, exhibition
  and the general public. The library holds these
  materials in trust for future generations, and
  therefore, for preservation reasons, materials
  can only be used in the library. (Willingboro)

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Time Period to be Covered

• Example
• The Research Center collects materials from
  Montanas earliest written records to the
  Present, as appropriate for our researchers.
• (MT Historical Society)

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Materials to be Collected

• The Collection is not limited to any one format
  but includes (New Hanover)

• Video Recording
• Compact Discs
• Oral Histories
• Genealogies
• Manuscript Collections
• Memorabilia
• Microforms

• Books
• Pamphlets
• Maps
• Photographs
• Articles
• Brochures
• Posters
• Newspapers
• Government documents

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Materials NOT Collected

• Three dimensional objects or large maps or
  drawings are generally not collected(Moore)
• No attempt will be made to collect fiction or
  juvenile materials. (Great Falls)
• Self-published books by local authors are
  generally not included. (Burlington)

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Purchases, Gifts, and Loans

• Criteria
• Deed of Gift or Receipts
• Restrictions Acceptable or Not?
• Indefinite Loans
• Condition

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Criteria for adding items

• Consideration for inclusion will be based on the
  overall merit of the material and in its
  usefulness in understanding Burlington history.
  (Burlington)
• Selection of items will be limited to those
  dealing with the history of the City of Oxnard or
  the County of Ventura, with special emphasis on
  Oxnard. (Oxnard)

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Deed of Gifts or Receipts

• Donations will be accepted provided that there
  is a signed Deed of Gift form that legally
  transfers ownership of the materials to the
  Willingboro Public Library.
• A provenance record of all donations is kept on
  file. (Niagara Falls)

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Restrictions Acceptable or Not?

• All donations must be offered free and clear
  without restrictions as to use or future
  disposition. The library will not normally
  accept collections which are to remain closed to
  public access. (Moore)
• Restrictions are sometimes put on donations, but
  only when it is deemed in the best interest of
  the collection or the Research Center (MT
  Historical Society)

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Indefinite Loans

• When a donor wishes to place material on
  indefinite load in the collection, the Head of
  Reference is responsible for deciding whether to
  accept the loan and, if so, for making the
  appropriate arrangements. (Niagara Falls)

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Condition

• Documents and materials must be in good
  condition, free of mold, pests or dirt. (Moore)
• Materials in poor condition will not be
  accepted. (Burlington)

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Discarding

• Library reserves right to dispose of materials
  inappropriate for collection.
• The library reserves the right to deaccession
  materials no longer appropriate to the
  collection. (Burlington)
• Reserve right to sell or offer items to other
  institutions
• From time to time, Willingboro Public Library
  will reappraise the collection. At these times,
  deaccession of some materials will take place.
  The Library will exercise the option of offering
  deaccessed materials to more appropriate
  institutions(Willingboro)

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Cooperative Agreements (Optional)

• Cooperative agreement with other organizations in
  order to preserve historical materials and/ or
  make them more widely available
• The Local History Collection will seek to
  establish cooperative programs with other area
  historical organizations(Monterey)

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Final Suggestions

• Create a flexible policy
• Schedule regular updates
• Use your policy

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References

• American. Library Association. Guidelines for
  Establishing Local History Collections. January
  2006
• www.ala.org/ala/rusa/protools/referenceguide/guide
  linesestablishing.cfm
• Hunter, Gregory. Developing and Maintaining
  Practical Archives a how-to-do-it manual. New
  York Neal-Schuman, 2003
• Phillips, Faye. Local History Collections in
  Libraries. Englewood, CO Libraries Unlimited,
  1995
• Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board and
  Wisconsin Association of Public Librarians.
  Creating a Collection Development Policy for
  Local Historical Records in Public Libraries.
  April 1998 www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchive
  s/whrab/wapl.pdf

• New Hanover County Public Library, NC
• Monterey Public Library, CA
• Great Falls Public Library, MT
• Niagara Falls Public Library, ON
• Oxnard Public Library, CA
• Montana Historical Society, MT
• Burlington Public Library, MA
• Willingboro Public Library, NJ