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college archivists - a question



Title: college archivists - a question

(apologies for cross-postings)

A question for my colleagues in small college archives:

We have materials in the general collection of the library that were acquired during the normal growth and daily life of a college library.  However, we occasionally have requests from faculty to move materials into Special Collections that aren't particularly rare but that they feel should be "protected."  In the latest case, an English professor would like to see selected bound volumes of "The Dial" and "Poetry" from the 1910s and 1920s removed to Special Collections because he feels the first printings of Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot in journals are akin to first editions.

These materials are not within the scope of our collection in Special Collections.  We have severe space problems down here, and there are access issues as well with breaking a serial run and moving some volumes into the closed stacks.  Moreover, I do not want to set a precedent that we (Special Collections) accept anything in the general collection that appears to be "old."  Plenty of our materials are "old" - the College has been around for 140 years.

However, I sense that I will be charged as a poor custodian of such materials if I do not respond to his request.

How have others handled such materials in their general collections?  Any tips for responding to faculty about such requests? 

Thank you for your input.

Jamie Nelson

Jamie Nelson
Special Collections Librarian
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois