Contents
Collection Development
Use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items.
Introduction
Selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of information items is a primary task of a librarian and archivist. Collection development policies are implemented to guide the repository and librarian in these tasks. Collection management involves acquiring, organizing, preparing, storing, and providing access (Saponaro & Evans, 33-34). An archive aims to maintain and identify records of archival value but an archive as a physical space includes multiple functions. The basic archival mission should include three elements: identifying records of enduring value, preserving records, and making these records available to the pubic (Hunter, 2). Cataloguing is the process of creating finding aids and storing records for preservation and access; the archivist must decide the best approach for each collection. There is an ongoing debate about processing, especially since archivists traditionally prefer item level finding aids. Literature on the topic determines that it is preferable for repositories to aim for shorter finding aids in return for smaller backlogs and greater access. An efficient process will aid organization and preservation needs.
Selection
Selection is often the most enjoyable part of the job. Searching through possible acquisitions for the diamond in the rough is an exciting adventure for librarians and archivists. Selection activities take much thought on rational considerations, including cost, user needs and interests, quality, institutional setting, and available resources. There are many resources to consult for reader lists, whether the selection is for a school library, university library, or public library. Vendor directories, bibliographies, and review sources can be checked for new publications that local users may be interested in. Archivists can search in auction catalogs for interesting finds that fit into the collection scope. When searching for new items, it is important to consider what types of information will fill collection gaps. New resources on these topics will benefit the local community (Sapanaro & Evans, 92-101). During selection, especially in archival repositories that manage giant collections, materials should be reviewed for length of time in processing. Long processing times may deter a repository from choosing a collection (Hunter, 99-102).
Evaluation
The organization of the collection provides needed clues on how to describe the contents. Adhering to the provenance and original order of the collection, based on the collector’s design, saves time for the archivist (Ritzenthaler; Greene & Meissner, 214-215). As explained in Describing Archives: A Content Standard, “The principle of original order advises archivists to determine and preserve those groupings, and then to describe records, agents, activities, and the relationships between them in a way that illuminates how creators kept their records and how they were sent to the archives” (Society of American Archivists Technical Subcommittee, xii). From here, designing an effective accessioning system saves time and allows for preliminary control of the collection (Ritzenthaler).
Organization
After acquiring new collections through purchases, donations, or gifts, the archivist must consider the best process for cataloguing the collection in a timely manner. Major discussion about the best process for cataloguing centers around the article, “More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Archival Processing,” and is found in multiple sources. The main problem presented by Greene and Meissner is that “processing is not keeping up with acquisitions and has not been for decades, resulting in massive backlogs of inaccessible collections at repositories across the country (and across all types of archival institutions)” (Greene & Meissner, 208-209). Item-level descriptions consume time but archivists prefer “a substantial, multilayered, descriptive finding aid” (Greene & Meissner, 215). Providing more product (more finding aids to decrease the backlog) requires less process (less levels to the finding aid). Finding aids can include descriptions of folders, series, and extended biographical or administrative notes instead of itemized lists, which still provides information for researchers while slimming down the finding aid (and the time to process the collection) (Greene & Meissner, 215-217). Hunter emphasizes the idea of backlogs as embarrassing. Shorter finding aids provide greater access to collections because processing can then be done at a much quicker pace (Hunter, 99-102).
Preservation
Once the collections are acquired, organized, and catalogued, they need to be stored following preservation guidelines. The SAA provides two definitions for preservation:
(1) “The professional discipline of protecting materials by minimizing chemical and physical deterioration and damage to minimize the loss of information and to extend the life of cultural property;”
(2) “the act of keeping from harm, injury, decay, or destruction, especially through noninvasive treatment.”
-Sapanaro & Evans, 310
Evaluation of collection items will determine preservation requirements. Paper and audiovisual items all have differing needs but there are standards that can be followed with each item. Acid free, metal-edge storage boxes containing acid-free folders, stored on metal shelves, in a humidity-controlled environment is standard. Books and audio should be stored upright. Photographs should be stored flat. Gloves should be used but not for audio or video tape due to risk of ripping the tape. Security and disaster preparedness should also be considered when drafting a collection development policy. The biggest challenge faced by archivists right now, in my opinion, is digital preservation. Technology changes quickly while millions of documents are now born digital daily. Keeping up with this pace is difficult but must be managed to prevent loss of preservation digital copies and born digital materials.
Evidence
The following evidence reflects my awareness and achievements towards accomplishing goals related to collection development and the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items.
Evidence A: Assessing Collections
INFO266 Collection Management
This essay for INFO266 Collection Management started with an open research prompt, with the broad requirement of focusing on an area in collection management. I took a multi-faceted approach by focusing on different approaches to assessing collections in various settings. To begin, I explore the idea that archivists require a diverse skill set in traditional library knowledge, technology, and human relations to fill user needs, which will aid in efficient selection of materials. After this, I discuss my experience with rare book acquisition for a university library. I then delve into collection management, with an example of a large photographic collection that needs to be accessioned in the Folklore Archive.
Collection Management: Examples of Assessing Acquisitions
[embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/sarahfisherportfolio/files/2022/03/Fisher-INFO266-Research-Paper.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
Evidence B: Collection Development Policy
INFO266 Collection Management
For this INFO266 Collection Management assignment, we were required to draft a collection development policy for either an existing or imaginary repository. Knowing the Folklore Archive was in need of this policy, I wrote a collection development policy for the repository where I work. After approval from the Folklore Director, I published the policy on the archive website. In the policy, I include an introduction to the repository and its collections, followed by mission, vision, and purpose statements. I then discuss administrative authority, the scope of the collection, cooperative agreements, selection criteria, collection development, collection maintenance (including preservation) and management, plus user rights and responsibilities.
Randall V. Mills Archives of Northwest Folklore Collection Development Policy
[embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/sarahfisherportfolio/files/2022/02/Fisher-INFO266-Collection-Development-Policy.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
Evidence C: Accessioning a Photographic Collection
INFO284 Seminar in Archives and Records Management: Managing Photographic Collections
This essay for INFO284 Seminar in Archives and Records Management: Managing Photographic Collections started with an open research prompt, with the broad requirement of focusing on an area related to photographic archives. This essay relies on current literature to explore the best approach towards cataloguing a new accession of many photographs. The Folklore Archive acquired a donation that includes thousands of photographic slides. As an archivist, I usually create item-level finding aids. This collection was overwhelming so it has been collecting dust on the backlog shelf. The research for this essay helped me determine that following the “Less Process” approach will get the finding aid for this collection online while saving time.
Accessioning a Photographic Collection: What is the Best Process for Access?
[embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/sarahfisherportfolio/files/2022/02/INFO284-Research-Paper.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]
Evidence D: Collection Development in Folklore Books
Folklore Archivist Collection Coordinator, RVMA, UO
My favorite days in the archive are when books are donated. Recently, the Oregon Folklife Network (OFN) moved their office to a smaller area so they donated all of their books to the Folklore Archive. I did not question this donation like I would from others because I knew that the scope of the OFN’s books would fall into the collecting scope of the archive. When I started at the archive, half of the books were not classified and none were in the system. Using a handy inventory spreadsheet to keep track of progress, the archivists have worked on cataloguing over three thousand books and journal issues. Some days, I feel like this task will never be done, but the blue lines on the spreadsheet are dwindling (not in the system) and the white lines are taking over (in the system). This is just one example of the many collection development tasks that are required in an archive.
Inventory Spreadsheet: Published Works
Conclusion
Collection development is something I think about every day when I am at work. The collections need to be organized, stored, retrieved, reviewed, and evaluated on a rotating basis. Online records need to be reviewed for consistency, especially after migrations or updates. My hope is to one day work in a large academic archive where I can explore medieval manuscripts and learn more about conservation. Audio and photographic archiving are interesting, and I am grateful for the skills I have learned in these areas, but old books… why, they are fascinating! There is something magical about the smell of old books, as if they are ready to take us on an adventure through time and space.
References
Greene, M. A., and Meissner, D. “More product, less process: revamping traditional archival processing.” The American Archivist, 68(2), 2005. 208–263. https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.68.2.c741823776k65863
Hunter, G. S. Developing and maintaining practical archives: A how-to-do-it manual, 3rd ed. Neal-Schuman, 2020.
Ritzenthaler, M. L., et. al. Photographs: Archival care and management. Society of American Archivists, 2006.
Saponaro, M. Z.; & Evans, G. E. Collection Management Basics, 7th ed. Libraries Unlimited, 2019.
Society of American Archivists Technical Subcommittee. “Describing archives: A content standard, version 2021.0.0.2.” Society of American Archivists, 2021. https://saa-tsdacs.github.io/
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