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Re: Archival Insurance Help



We also were asked many years ago to provide a value of
the Special Collections since we are carried on the University's
books as a capital asset and a valuation is needed for their
self-insurance records.   When I came here years ago, I
discovered (to my dismay) that statistics are maintained as
to numbers of items in a collection.   I added cubic feet to
our statistics but the University would not let me abandon this
piece-count concept.   Thus when we catalog a collection,
our statistics may read 2.0 c.f. (1,737 pieces). meaning we
must count the pieces of paper (stapled units count as one).

Because we did have this piece count, we came up with a
rough evaluation of Manuscripts $10 each; West Florida/BWF
items (these can be monographs, booklets, ephemera, etc),
$15 each; Newspapers $5 each; and maps $30 each.   Of
course these are rough figures and arguable.   One issue of
a 1999 newspaper might not cost $5 to replace, but it might
cost that much to replace a 1930 newspaper.  Does a roll of
microfilm count as a monograph or a newspaper, etc.
The map figures seem low but we have many photocopy maps
from other libraries....

Our last tabulation showed 751,000 items or $7.2 million in
replacement fees (roughly $10 an item).    The only other
way I know to place a value is an appraisal inventory that
lists each item and a regular re-appraisal every few years.

For internal purposes, we also try to make our inventories
as annotated as possible so that we can identify specific
items both for security and also later appraisal/replacement
if needed.


Dean





Dean DeBolt
University Librarian
Special Collections and West Florida Archives
John C. Pace Library
University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL  32514-5750
Tele:  850-474-2213;   Fax:  850-474-3338

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