ARL Addendum and Recommendations

The concept of "hidden collections" as I see it, is basically another term for due process. Donors deliver books and archival material, booksellers deliver purchases. In turn, librarians fill carts and boxes with this uncataloged bounty.

The problem with "hidden collections" is that they're a lot like a pirate's treasure chest. Scholars, like treasure hunters, know the books, pamphlets, papers, and manuscripts exist, they may even know where they're stashed, but they can't get to them until they've been unearthed from the box they came in, examined, catalogued, and shelved appropriately. It can be frustrating for scholars, for cataloguers, librarians and just about anybody else who'd like a peek at the goods.

I don't have much experience when it comes to dealing with hidden collections. At my institution, there isn't much of a backlog. And from what I've read that makes us one of the lucky ones. Other institutions have longer waiting lists.

What is termed hidden collections are a fact of life. This is due process in action, even if it seems periously close to inaction. The recommendation of the Task Force is for testing and use of a "preliminary record" format in order to make collections visible to scholars and the public. An alternative idea is to develop grant proposals to assist in this aim.

At the moment I'm rooting for the alternative idea. Although initial applications were not granted, there is still hope for future funding. Rather than the creation of a preliminary record format which will lead to an item going through the system twice to be properly cataloged, funding for catalogers whose sole purpose is to bring hidden collections to light seems like a viable alternative.

Lastly, recommendations are in the works for a working group concerned with special collections issues. Recommendations include planning for the collection of 19th and 20th century materials and developing strategies for collecting born-digital as well as other new media material. The goal is to provide leadership for collecting activities which include collection analysis, identification gaps and other areas. I've had the opportunity to fill these roles at times at our institution. Realizing a need, planning and coordinating efforts to fill the need and organizing materials is an important function within special collections.

Other recommendations include educational opportunities within special collections. This is another area where I have had the opportunity to participte. I had the good fortune to work with an English professor who had received a grant to develop a rare book pedagogy unit, http://clc.as.wvu.edu:8080/clc/projects/Rare%20Book%20Pedagogy%20Unit/. The module was designed as a means to integrate primary source material into course work for both faculty, who may have never included special collections materials in class and for students, who may have never been exposed to special collections.

The task force recomendations close with more thoughts on "new ways of measuring collections" and education and training.

There is much food for thought in this final status report. The resulting committees will have their hands full negotiating these difficult and challenging issues. But that's why we're librarians, right? We love to identify issues, solve problems and share our materials with others!