Setting up a Research Collection (With No Budget)

Abstract

Setting up a Research Collection (With No Budget) Rachel Johnson (bio) So many articles start off these days with the subtitle "on a tight budget" or even "with no budget" that the provision of little financing becomes a given. In the case of setting up a collection for research into children's literature funding depends on whether you have a plan to set up a collection or whether the collection starts unexpectedly. I suspect that many collections start with the discovery of a body of material in a stack or a hidden room, or as is the case with the research collections at the University of Worcester, with a focused collection looking for a home where it could enhance existing curriculum and research. The International Forum for Research into Children's Literature located within the Institute for Humanities and the Creative Arts already had research students working in the field of children's literature and already had a small body of random material that had landed on its doorstep but was not organised for research use. Why not? The answer is easily given. The material was not part of library stock, there were no staff available to do anything with it, and there were no shelves on which to put it. The material was simply rescued in hope that it could eventually be available and used for study. The potential existed, but the turning point came when an historical collection was offered to the university and the desire to accept coincided with senior management's support. You could say the start was therefore incidental, not contemplated, a confluence of circumstances and people. Such a serendipitous beginning does not mean that all will go smoothly and easily. A collection needs to fit into the fabric and strategy of the institution; therefore rigorous procedures and policies need to be in place to satisfy institutional operation and development requirements. Here we come to the main work of the setting up process, which I have summarized under six headings. [End Page 83] Purpose and Mission Statement: Why Are We Here? A clear message communicating what you have to offer, why, and to whom, is essential. Academic staff will pick this message up and pass it on to their students. This outcome may not be instant in some cases, but planting the potential of the collection into the minds of key subject staff is likely to result in an invitation to talk to their students. Location Location is of course dependent upon senior management and the situation within the Institution. You may not get a choice in this matter. The key is to make whatever you have as accessible as possible and advertise it. If you start with two clear environmental specifications, one aspirational and one realistic, then your flexibility will engender a supportive mind-set. It is of course necessary to ensure security and basic environmental requirements such as a dry location with a temperature and humidity reading that falls within conditions required for printed material. Focus A focused and coherent collection provides a clearer statement of research potential and opens the opportunity for scholarship based on the material available. A policy specifying criteria for addition and development of the collection must be in place to avoid pressure to accept random material that may be offered. Additions that will enhance the research potential of any given collection and support specific course or institutional focus can also be actively sought. Documentation In order to keep abreast of as many contingencies as possible, and to satisfy institutional audit regulations, you need policies for every conceivable use of the collection. An initial agreement with the depositor, be it a loan agreement (less usual) or a gift deposit agreement, is fundamental. This agreement covers any terms and conditions the depositor may require and includes safeguards against sale of material by the institution at a future date, should dispersal be necessary. This agreement clearly states what is expected of both parties (the depositor and the institution). Additional policies should address questions about management, access, future development, preservation, disaster planning, and volunteers. Examples of policies for all of these situations are readily available from existing collections librarians. Agreements and policies...