---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dooley,Jackie <dooleyj(a)oclc.org>
Date: Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 2:10 PM
OCLC Research will launch a survey this week to study special
collections and archives in academic and research libraries throughout
the United States and Canada. This project updates a similar survey done
by ARL in 1998, the outcomes of which catalyzed the community and led
directly to numerous high-profile initiatives to "expose hidden
collections." Since then, recognition of the distinction that unique
special collections bring to our institutions has greatly increased.
ARL's response rate was more than 90%, which gave high credibility to
their data.
We're including the memberships of five library associations in the
survey population of more than 300 institutions:
* Association of Research Libraries (U.S.)
* Canadian Association of Research Libraries
* Independent Research Libraries Association
* Oberlin Group
* RLG Partnership (members in the U.S. and Canada)
The director of each library in the survey population will receive the
survey by email. I encourage those of you whose libraries and archives
are included to ensure that your participation is solicited. Note that
each institution may submit only one response; for multi-repository
institutions (Harvard, Library of Congress, UC Berkeley, et al.), this
means amalgamating responses from individual units.
Broad participation will enable institutions to learn about the extent
of their aggregate collections, the access provided, the nature of the
user base, the status of adoption of new technologies and more. The
data will support decision-making for strategic priorities and
collaborative projects.
Data will be captured in the areas of collections, user services,
cataloging and metadata, archival management, digitized and born-digital
special collections, staffing and funding. Survey results will help
answer questions such as:
* To what extent has online access increased since the 1998 ARL
survey?
* How widespread is the implementation of new technologies in
user services?
* Are the latest approaches to archival management being widely
adopted?
* What is the current role of special collections in digital
library development?
* How much progress has been made in preservation and management
of born-digital archival records?
* In which of the core competencies recommended by professional
societies do staff need more education and training?
* How diverse is the staff of special collections libraries?
* How much have these libraries' overall budgets been cut in the
context of the global economic crisis?
OCLC Research will publish the survey results in mid-2010, and a seminar
will be presented at the ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section
Preconference in Philadelphia in June 2010. More information is
available on the project website
<http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/hiddencollections/default.htm>
. This survey is one in a suite of projects focused on Mobilizing Unique
Materials <http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/mum.htm> on behalf
of the RLG Partnership.
Please feel free to contact me for additional information.
Best wishes to all, Jackie
Jackie Dooley
Consulting Archivist
OCLC Research and the RLG Partnership
dooleyj(a)oclc.org
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