This week is our thirteenth episode – and it’s a lucky one!

(You can download all our podcasts at iTunes or the podcast app of your choice; or you can listen to this episode here!)

Topic of the Week: Local History Collections

 

RUSA Guidelines for Establishing Local History Collections http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesestablishing

• Considerations before making a commitment to developing a local history collection
  • Research and understand the history that is unique to the locality.
  • Establish and maintain a dialog between local institutions (museums, academic libraries, local archives), societies (both genealogical and historical), and agencies (county, city, and state). Consider what is currently being collected, what services are needed, to what depth such collections are being developed, and what collaborative or cooperative agreements are needed. Determine the most suitable repository for particular materials with respect to use, dissemination, and preservation.
    • Scope and Services of the Collection
    • Collection Development
    • Collection Location and Access
    • Fiscal Considerations
      • Provide a budget for staffing the collection.
      • Provide a budget sufficient to acquire, process, and preserve the local history collection.
      • Provide a budget for physical and bibliographic access to the collection.
      • Provide a budget for reproduction, reformatting, and/or digitization of rare and fragile materials.
      • Provide a budget for public relations.
      • Develop a policy for a reproduction fee schedule.

 

We have a lot of information on our website about some of the great libraries we looked at this week, and more about some interesting genealogy resources, as well as our report on books we are reading, and our Spotlight Library of the Week!

Next week we have special guest hosts for our look at Special Libraries, so check that out on Thursday, June 8!