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Re: Public Library Receiving Early City Archives



To be honest, my personal feeling is that these kinds of materials
should go to an archival facility--say the South Carolina Historical
Society, or a University that has an archives.    Public libraries are
too often understaffed and unprepared to handle archives and
manuscript collections.

If you intend to have these materials, obviously security is a main
concern.  You need to be sure that there is a staff member present
in the reading room area at all times if a user is utilizing the documents.
You need to control access to the materials...in short they should not
be on an open shelf for browsing.   You need to remove the copier from
the area so that the user does NOT do their own copying--too many fragile
items are destroyed by users trying to "get it just right."   In short, if
you are going to provide access to the materials, you have to have at
least one staff member present with the materials and users at all
times....and be prepared to add another staff member depending on the
number of people.   If you have say five or six people simultaneously utilizing
the older materials, the chances of theft, destruction, etc. rises steeply
because you cannot monitor them all.     You also will need a good handy
reference collection of dictionaries, abbreviation tools, some of the books
on "old" handwriting, at least one good legal dictionary, any histories of the
city or area, maps of the region and area, a good plat book -- to provide
reference answers to questions that will arise from the documents.

If you do not have sufficient staff for these matters, then you probably
should hold off access until they are microfilmed.   In the filming, be sure
that someone has the original negative, also create a duplicating negative,
and at least two positive prints -- all in silver.    One set of positive
will be
in your reading room; a second is kept in storage as backup.

Our local public library has avoided getting into "manuscripts" and archives,
preferring instead to work with me and others, donating materials to us
where we offer climate-control secure storage (on high ground, I might add)
and in turn we can provide microfilm or photocopies depending on the nature
of the materials.   Some of the librarians have told me that even when folks
give them folders of research notes which are placed in genealogical vertical
files--they are shocked at the number of items which go missing as people
help themselves thinking that since they are photocopies, they can take them
or simply that "this is about MY family, hence it more properly belongs to me!"

I can't emphasize enough the need for filming or at least for a proper complete
inventory of the materials.  If you don't have a detailed comprehensive
inventory,
you fall victim to several issues.    First, city officials will send
everyone to you
claiming you have the "early records."   If you don't know what you have, you
will anger users who claim you should have something because the city says
you do.    You will need inventories to prove that you have or don't have
certain
records.   Second, inventories help resolve political situations where
folks would
claim the library threw away early city records when you can't produce those
dog tax licenses of 1922.

Finally, I have not mentioned the need for strict climate control and
preservation
facilities.  I am assuming you have these or will have them so that you can
store
the originals properly while users utilize the microfilm.    You might
consider at
some point having the microfilm scanned so you can create electronic CDs or
other files for library users who want Internet access.

If you want to announce that you have them, you can but be sure to emphasize
that the materials will be available as soon as microfilming of them has been
completed.    That usually works, but you need to be prepared for getting the
filming done fairly soon.    A different ploy would be to make a series of
announce-
ments as the film is available....that allows you to stay "in the news" and
shows
the progress you're making.

Good luck.

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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