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ERIC Number: ED564796
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jul
Pages: 39
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: 978-1-55653-458-4
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Tiers for Fears: Sensible, Streamlined Sharing of Special Collections
Massie, Dennis
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.
This report presents strategies for providing efficient and affordable interlending of actual physical items from special collections for research purposes, as well as advice on determining if a loan is the most appropriate way to fulfill a particular request. Lending physical items ranks among the most divisive issues in the field of archives and special collections, perhaps the one most likely to bring out equal parts raw emotion and well-reasoned professional opinion. But solid evidence indicates that the practice of lending physical items from special collections is becoming as common as not doing so. From 2009 through 2011, a working group made up of resource sharing supervisors and special collections curators from OCLC Research Library Partnership institutions studied this issue. The most significant activity of the working group was creating a set of tools that will help institutions reconsider and streamline their processes for handling loan requests for special collections materials. These tools include: (1) a tiered approach to streamlining workflows associated with lending special collections, outlining minimal, moderate and maximum amounts of effort and overhead, to be invoked based on the material, the request, and the risk tolerance of curators and administrators; (2) a model written policy on sharing special collections; and (3) a "trust" checklist to serve as a conversation starter between a prospective lender and an institution interested in borrowing an item from special collections. This report contains a complete description of the working group's activities, plus all of the tools listed above, and advice on how best to use them. The report's principles intentionally dovetail with the Association of College and Research Libraries' 2012 revision of Guidelines for Interlibrary and Exhibition Loans of Special Collections Materials (ALA 2012). The following tools are included: (1) Model Local Policy for Lending Special Collections Materials for Research Purposes; and (2) The SHARES Facility Trust Checklist. The following are apppended: (1) Case Study--Pennsylvania State University; and (2) In-depth Analysis of the 2010 Sharing Special Collections Working Group Survey.
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. 6565 Kilgour Place, Dublin, OH 43017. Tel: 800-848-5878; Fax: 614-764-6096; e-mail: support@oclc.org; Web site: http://www.oclc.org
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Media Staff
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: OCLC Research
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A