Selecting and Storing Collections in a Library

Part 1
Archivists should try to collect records that have enduring value (Module #2: Archival Appraisal and Acquisition, n.d.). However, one problem is that value is subjective, and determining which records will have value (whether currently or in the future) is a difficult task. Not only does it require interacting with the public and gaining an understanding of what the public is likely to value, it requires knowing what records one has in the first place (Evans, Saponaro, 2012; Johnson, 2014). As the article by Somers (2017) shows, for a big library archive, there is simply not enough man power to even go through all the records sufficiently. This means that indexing them is a slow process, which often leads donors and patrons to complain of delays in obtaining access to material that has been donated but not yet fully archived. Additionally, Somers (2017) notes that oftentimes, archivists take time to organize the files in a more categorical way, even though one of the key concepts of archival arrangement is to maintain records in the order given them by their creator (Archival Arrangement and Description, n.d.). In many cases, knowing the original order or simply identifying it can be time-consuming, especially if material obtained is disheveled (such as notes, letters, journals, clippings, etc.). New recommendations from a paper titled “More Product, Less Process” urged librarians to move through materials more quickly: “Pointing out that as much as 80 percent of the archivists’ time was spent “refoldering,” the paper offered shortcuts that, it claimed, would make more collections available without sacrificing much in the way of intellectual accessibility” (Somers, 2017). However, these shortcuts come at the risk of losing a sense of what is truly in one’s possession.
The problem of going through records piece by piece and labeling them minutely so that researchers can know what is on file and where it can be found is that the amount of material to be catalogued is just too great. It cannot all be gone through. Yet if it is not all gone through, it is hard to know what is actually possessed. One solution to this could be to use volunteers—professional or retired researchers who have experience researching and labeling records. They could easily be trained by library staff to do the job that libraries do not have the funds and resources to do themselves. In order for researchers to know what libraries have in their possession and to be able to access them, the material must be read, sorted and catalogued—and there is no easy or simple way to cut corners on this process. Thus, enlisting the aid of individuals who would be willing to donate their time for the sake of the researching community is undoubtedly the best approach in addressing this issue. This would be much more preferable than the approach identified by Somers (2017), which is that librarians not actually read all the material they are cataloguing, but merely go through it and get a sense for what it is. This could lead to potentially very valuable documents being “lost” in a collection, and that should not happen.

References
Archival Arrangement and Description. (n.d.). Power Point Presentation
Evans, G.E., & Saponaro, M.Z. (2012). Collection management basics. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
Johnson, P. (2014). The fundamentals of collection development and management.
Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
Module #2: Archival Appraisal and Acquisition. (n.d.) Course Material, 1-22.
Somers, J. (2017). Keepers of the secrets. Retrieved from
https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/09/20/keepers-of-the-secrets/


Part 2
Student A: Response:
This is a good summary of the article by Somers (2017) and highlights one of the crucial aspects of collections: which documents to keep and how to store them. Turning to digital formats can help make space for documents and allow more to be stored. However, as can be seen from the change in NARA policy, the specific content that is being stored is differing—and that is based on the perception of value accorded it. How is this perception obtained? How does one make a decision in collections that certain material is worth collecting while other material is not? As Module 2 (n.d.) states, “in no way are archivists neutral in their selection process” (p. 2). Thus, one good question to ask about this article is whether the NARA is making this decision merely out of convenience and the fact that there simply is not enough room for so many paper documents, or whether it has really assessed the value of its collections and the value that the public seeks to obtain currently and in the future. A library has a responsibility to adhere to the values of the public and assist the public in obtaining material it deems valuable—so it should be determined as to whether the NARA is acting in its own self-interest or in the interest of the researching world and public.

References
Module #2: Archival Appraisal and Acquisition. (n.d.) Course Material, 1-22.
Somers, M. (2017). NARA’s draft strategic plan looks to leave paper records
management in digital dust. Retrieved from https://federalnewsradio.com/management/2017/09/naras-draft-strategic-plan-leaves-pen-and-paper-records-management-in-digital-dust/

Part 3
Student B: Response
This critique gives a decent overview of the article but it does not mention the name of the article or the author or the date of publication. There is a haphazard way to it, which prevents the writer from giving concrete details about the work. Some direct quotes would be beneficial so that the reader could develop a better sense of what is being written in the text under scrutiny. However, as an overview, the critique is decent enough and there is a link provided, which allows the reader to go directly to the source. Still, the link is not composed in a manner that is in accordance with typical APA referencing standards and guidelines. Also, the critique does not really relate the issue to any learning outcomes related to library science. What does this have to do with materials collection for librarians? The critique could have at least described the six-step selection process recommended in Module #2: Archival Appraisal and Acquisition (n.d.). This would have given the critique more body and more meaning for the library science student and enabled one to see how the film selection process is relevant to the collections process used by librarians in today’s field—especially where technology is concerned.

References
Module #2: Archival Appraisal and Acquisition. (n.d.) Course Material, 1-22.