In, Out, and Beyond: Integrating Special Collections at UCLA Library

Tom HyryUCLA Library Special Collections

Living the Future ConferenceApril 23, 2012

Some Trends in Special Collections• Greater emphasis on special collections in research

libraries as a whole• Reduced resources overall: not necessarily more for

Special Collections• Collections growing in size and complexity• New demands on campus: greater emphasis on use of

primary sources in teaching and learning• Support for different and new types of research (e.g.

digital humanities• Intellectual property issues

Realities

• Value of special collections: text, physical, and financial

• Stewardship responsibilities: security and preservation

• Need to take the long view: cultural heritage

• What’s so special?

Overall point:

More to do and, in many cases, less to do it with.

What are the highest priorities?

How can we creatively build capacity ?

Integrating Special Collections at UCLA1. Consolidating programs , operations, and services to

increase efficiencies, reduce redundancies, and improve user services

2. Integrate Special Collections operations into broader library endeavors

3. Integrate archival ideas beyond the library

Making five units into oneFive units:• Department of Special Collections (Humanities and Social

Sciences)• Performing Arts Special Collections (Film, Television,

Theater, Music)• Biomedical Library Special Collections (History of

Medicine and Sciences• University Archives• Center for Oral History Research

Making five units into oneFour Functions:• Collection Management (Accessioning, Cataloging,

Processing, Preservation)• Curatorial (Acquisitions, Exhibits, Programming,

Instruction)• Public Services (Reference, Instruction, Reader Services,

Duplication)• Administrative (Budgets, Facilities, Human Resources,

Events)

Guiding principles• Developing collective solutions to specific problems

• User centered

• Documented policies and procedures

• Subject knowledge and expertise still matters: not throwing baby out with bathwater

Progress to date• Collection Management: unified approach to

accessioning, processing, cataloging, preservation• Public Services: Outward focus; integrated reading room• Curatorial: Coordinated collecting and more focused

collecting priorities; Collecting Los Angeles (new collecting initiative)

• Administrative: central management of budget , using resources more wisely; single point to manage UCLA bureaucracy

Persistent challenges

Space: Small reading room; Teaching spaces; Accessioning, processing, cataloging; staff unity

Staffing holes: Technology skills; Rare books; Curatorial leadership

Creating an environment that breeds creativity and embraces change

Developing leadership

Planning the future• Having completed reorganization, now setting future

directions

• Planning process has included surveys of users, staff, library colleagues, and focus groups with administration

• Goals: collective understanding of our mission and direction; establishment of highest level priorities; better sense of ourselves as a single unit

Future directions (provisional)Focus on transforming user experience (physically and

virtually): make special collections available when, where, and how users want it, to greatest extent possible

Enhance digital services and operations : mass digitization, curated digitization, born digital, social media

Outreach and advocacy: integration of SC into curriculum; improved promotion of collections and services

Special Collections into the broader library

• New emphasis on special collections provides opportunities and challenges to work with library staff, students and faculty outside of special collections

• How can we harness existing staff and interest in special collections to boost our capacity? What are the tensions and barriers for success?

• Areas: instruction; processing/cataloging; collecting; exhibits; programming

InstructionIncreased use of special collections by non-SC librarians in

instruction, incorporation of primary sources into teaching

Tension(s): preservation and security; demands on public services staff for paging, etc.

Solutions: policies and procedures; training; digitization targeted at teaching and learning

Processing and CatalogingCenter for Primary Research and Training: programmatic

approach to engaging graduate students in special collections

Extending the model to library staff

Tensions: new roles for staff; special collections living with imperfection; role of archivist becomes more facilitator, teacher, and advocate and less of a processor

Reconsidering post-custodial archives

Issue: more relevant archival materials exist than can possibly be acquired, processed and preserved by research libraries

Can we extend our reach beyond our institutions?

Examples: June Mazer Archive; Labor and social movement archives (provisional)

Ongoing questions• How can we best configure existing staff and old

structures to deal with new demands?

• How to develop collections that support broad areas of research within limited means?

• What functions can we give up?