No archival organization is obligated to give up a collection to another
organization simply because the other organization feels it should be
there. If your mission and
purpose encompasses these collections, retain them. You could permit
the other
organization to provide OCLC or provision records which would point user
to you.
We've had similar questions here. After forty years as a regional
history center, there
have emerged some new historical societies as well as new local
libraries. A number
of these have contact me over time and said they exist now, so I should
send them
our collections about their area. Some have not a clue on how to
preserve materials, how to catalog archival collections, have no
research facility or hours.
I usually try to work with them, trying to encourage a collegial
relationship rather than an all or none. Sometimes that works. Other
times it doesn't. I try to convey that
the organization needs to think about what programs it wants to
concentrate its limited resources into.
Your question is not an easy one as organizations will change their
mission over and
over.....expanding them when times are good, and restricting them with
times are hard.
Dean
Dean DeBolt
University Librarian, Special Collections
John C. Pace Library, University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL 32514-5750
850-474-2213
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-----Original Message-----
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Mary Sicchio
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 11:07 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Deaccessioning
Dear Listserve:
Do you have any advice for a small archive who has received
two requests from a neighboring archive on two differing
collections that they feel should be in their archive.
One Collection in question orginated from our College Librarian
who happened at one time (1970-1980)to be head of the
organization who created these papers.
The other archive states that it is their mission to collect
the current papers of this organization.
These papers are fully cataloged with OCLC and local listings.
Are we obligated to give up our collection? There is no formal
deed of gift.
Mary Sicchio
Nickerson Collection
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
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In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
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