The Zombie Stack Exchanges That Just Won't Die
The personal collections of research materials, notes, papers, and documentation that faculty members accumulate over the course of a research project can be rich, interesting, and unique. Increasingly these collections comprise physical and digital materials. Given the interest within the library community in engaging faculty around data curation, these personal research collections might form a good basis for data curation services.
Of course, much of what faculty members collect might not be of enduring value or have much research potential. Speaking anecdotally, I've found this engenders some resistance to including faculty papers in collecting policies or plans.
Do research libraries commonly collect faculty papers/research materials? Are these kinds of materials addressed in collection development plans or are they left to University Archives to accept or reject? Also, does a faculty member or research project have to reach some level of notoriety or fame for their materials to receive this kind of attention
trevormunoz
My institution acquires the records of faculty members. We have an donor sheet that we give to faculty members who may be moving institutions or (more commonly) retiring. Although we have the mandate to collect such material, we also have our larger acquisition mandate that highlights areas of research strength, so we have some wiggle room to say "no thanks" to material that may not fit with our overall holdings.
I think we would privilege the records of a faculty member who is donating personal records that also document other activities on campus (administrative work, campus life, committees, etc.). We also collect the records of departments, research centres and university administrative units. The historical culture of our university is such that many units were started as the result of strong-willed individuals, as opposed to 'top-down' administrative decisions. Sometimes the best way of documenting the actual development of the university is through the records of such individuals.
Here's an excerpt from the acquisition guidelines for faculty papers:
"... [the university archives] preserves and makes accessible the personal records of individuals associated with the University whose papers possess enduring value. When reviewing potential donations to determine if they should be acquired, archivists look for records that reveal influences upon the perspectives of faculty and administrators, provide evidence of their professional and personal activities, and document their contribution to York University or a broader community of interests. The records should promote an understanding of issues that are likely to be the focus of research in the future, show change over time, and be in good physical condition.
Records appear in a wide variety of formats and media. They include not only documents created by a potential donor, but also documents received from other individuals or organizations associated with the donor’s activities. Examples of these documents includ
• Essays, examinations, course notes and thesis research created while a student • Lecture notes, course outlines, reading lists, class lists, examination questions, students’ papers, letters of reference and other correspondence that document a teaching career • Original manuscripts and typescripts of publications, and correspondence with co-authors, readers, and publishers • Correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports and other documents related to membership in professional organizationes, journals and correspondence involving family, friends and associates involved with personal interests • Photographs documenting family, university career and professional activities
University records generated in an individual’s capacity as an administrator (for example a dean, committee chair, or administrative officer) should be transferred to Archives and Special Collections by the office in which they were generated. Not all departments and faculties, however, make transfers on a reg basis, so university records are dealt with on a case-by-case basis if found among the personal papers of donors."
Hope this helps!