Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an ......Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an Archives 21 Archival collections hold value which extends beyond

Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an Archives Local History and History Preservation Conference Middleton, Wisconsin Saturday, October 10, 2015 Peter Shrake Archivist, Circus World Museum [email protected]

Greg Kocken Head Special Collections Librarian & University Archivist, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire [email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]


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Our Goals: Provide you with a budget and resource conscious approach to building and

managing your archives program

Help you to better understand the value of archival collections and how they can

play a critical role with your organization

Provide you with the confidence you need to make decisions across all facets of the

archival enterprise

Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an Archives

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For many local history organizations, archives present an untapped resource full of potential and opportunity.

Valuing your Archives • Building connections with your local community through local history resource

centers/rooms • Increasing the value of exhibitions through the manuscripts and photographic

holdings in the archives


Workshop Outline Activity One: Appraisal

Collection Development Policies and Deeds of Gift

Activity Two: Crafting a Collection Development Policy

Organization and Description of Archival Collections: Just the Basics

BREAK

Public Services for Archives

Activity Three: Case Studies

Valuing your Archives

Your Questions Answered

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Activity One Selection and Appraisal


Why do we keep archival materials?


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A strong collections policy is an ally when reviewing donations of materials. Your policy will guide your decisions and make it easier to say “no” to a potential donation.

Collection Development Policies • Similar to your organization’s mission statement, the collection development policy is a reflection of your organization. • A common approach to a CD policy is topical (e.g. Local architecture, aviation etc.). • When developing a CD policy you must consider:

• What is your organization’s mission? • Who is your audience? • How do you currently serve your audience? How do you want to serve your audience? • What strengths exist within your current holdings? • Who else might be collecting similar materials?

• CD policies can change over time. • It is common, although not necessary, to maintain different CD policies across separate units within an organization.


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Example: Chippewa Valley Museum’s Collection Development Statement At present, our primary goals for collections development are balance and refinement. We no longer accept generic artifacts whose significance and use cannot be documented and are seeking recent materials while they are still readily available and in good condition. We have identified key themes and subjects which need better representation, including a) development of regional high-technology industries; b) changing character of retailing and retail areas; c) changing character of health care and hospitals; d) changing nature and activities of women’s organizations; e) changes in the lives of children; f) changing character of farming and rural life; g) growth of the Hmong community, cultural persistence and change; and, h) Ojibwe history and culture. Curatorial personnel assess one or two subcollections annually, identifying gaps, redundancies, conservation needs, and potential contribution to interpretive programming. We invite specialists to assist in this process. Consultants and members of tribal communities reviewed American Indian collections during planning for the long-term exhibit Paths of the People. They added information on current holdings, suggested additions and assured that we were not unwittingly holding sacred objects inappropriately. (CVM is in compliance with NAGPRA regulations.)

http://www.cvmuseum.com/who_we_are/sub02_collections.phtml

http://www.cvmuseum.com/who_we_are/sub02_collections.phtml


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The Deed of Gift does more than establish your legal custody to materials, it provides invaluable information about the significance of items.

Deeds of Gift • Transfers physical custody of a donation from the donors to the organization

• Provides basic details about the extent and origins of donated materials

• Transfers negotiable rights (e.g. copyright) from donors to the organization

• Stipulates what an organization can and cannot do with donated materials (e.g.

return unwanted materials to the donor)

• Provides a legal document for donors to use when seeking tax write-offs


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Example: UW-Eau Claire’s Special Collections & Archives Department’s Deed of Gift Form


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Questions about Collection Development Policies or Deeds of Gift?


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Activity Two Crafting a Collection Development Policy


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Organization & Description Cataloging

• Always assign some form of catalog number for each collection. The catalog record should also have the storage location clearly marked. • Catalog numbers will maintain a link with your donor record (Deed of Gift) which in

turn will maintain proof of your ownership of the collection • It will make it easier to keep track of where the items are. • It will make it easier to refile the items when you are done and will minimize

misfiling or loosing items. • Keep the catalog number simple. This could be just a variation of the accession number

or a different but specific call number. Examples: 2014.1.A (year of donation /number in which the item arrived/archival collection) Mss 1 (manuscript collection No. 1)

• Do not be afraid to establish catalog rules but: • Be consistent • Write them down in a notebook or computer file. Make copies of the rules or let

everyone know where the rules are. Catalog rules are not secrets, the more people know about them the more consistent the quality of the cataloging.


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Organization & Description

Start Broad • Focus on collections and not on items. • There is a danger of stalling a project when you become

too focused on the details • Identify and describe at the collection level. You can always

go back and describe/catalog the collection in greater detail at a later date.

• What is the essence of the collection-what information do

you need to know and your patrons need to know. • Main creators or authors of the collection • Date ranges • Important subjects or significant highlights


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Going deeper into processing: • Try to maintain the original order of the collection. • Do not rearrange the materials unless the collection is really a disorganized mess. • When in Doubt, Throw it Out! • It is OK to discard items which are not relevant.

• Duplicates • Empty forms • Routine/transitory materials


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Description: • How much information

do your researchers need?

• To create guides or not

to create guides. • Sometimes a simple

paragraph or subject list will suffice-sometimes you need more.


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Organization & Description Example: Finding Aid


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Tools for maintaining your catalog • Depends on your staff (volunteer or paid), your budget,

and whether or not you are ready to make your catalog available to the public.

Options: • Past Perfect • Websites • Excel


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Questions about organizing and describing collections


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BREAK


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Activity Three Case studies


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Archival collections hold value which extends beyond your organization. The community can greatly benefit from the information preserved by your organization; sharing this information with your audiences is a critical component of managing an archives.

Public Services for Archives • How is information about your archival collections shared with your audiences?

Consider how you can share information and connect with your audiences • Creating a public space for your audiences to interact with your collections

• Think critically about staffing, workstations, lighting, security and equipment. • Establish rules governing access and use of archival/library materials.

• Tracking users, through simple registration forms, can provide security and valuable information.


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Public Services for Archives Example: Researcher Rules & Registration


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Public Services for Archives • Interacting with Researchers

• The Reference Interview

Knowledge Base

Query/ Question

Query/Question

Needs Assessment

Research Strategy/Path

Information Need


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Public Services for Archives • Reproducing materials

• Equipment • Policies & Fees • Copyright

• Remote researchers • Establishing Boundaries: How much is too much?

• Managing volunteers • Set rules and expectations • Make the volunteer experience enjoyable • Find time to interact with volunteers • Start volunteers with easy tasks


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Public Services for Archives • Statistics

• Why keep statistics? • What information is valuable? • Using your statistics

• Outreach for archives • Social Media • Publishing • Fund raising and Friend Raising • Websites

• Digitization • Before you scan, have a plan! • Consider technology, resources, audience


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Resource Highlight: Websites via Weebly.com


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Resource Highlight: Publishing via Blurb.com


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Resource Highlight: Social Media Tools


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Public Services for Archives • Digitization

• Before you scan, have a plan! • Consider technology, resources, audience • Use statistics to inform decisions


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Questions about public services for archives?

Thank You! Peter Shrake Archivist, Circus World Museum [email protected]

Greg Kocken Head Special Collections Librarian & University Archivist, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire [email protected]

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Documents

Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an ......Papers, Pictures and Patrons: The Basics of Managing an Archives 21 Archival collections hold value which extends beyond