Over 190 librarians and archivists gathered September 8-9, 2003, at the Library of Congress to address the challenges of providing access to uncataloged and unprocessed archival, manuscript, and rare book materials. “Exposing Hidden Collections” was a working conference planned by ARL’s Special Collections Task Force. The two-day meeting enabled interaction among communities of people who seldom come together and also set the stage for defining North American-scale efforts to address these arrearages of unprocessed content.
There was extraordinary energy in the discussions and a consensus that “something must be done.” Several over-riding themes emerged from the discussions. They all embraced the key point made at the opening of the conference by New York University Dean of Libraries Carol Mandel. “Help institutions help themselves,” she said, emphasizing the distinctive nature of each collection. “The problem is national (and international) but the solution is local…. our planning should be based on a system of institutional responsibility.”
There was animated discussion about a proposition that an outcome of the conference should be a pledge by participants to return to their institutions committed to provide a web-accessible collection-level record for all unprocessed materials. This was proposed as an initial effort that, if pursued by a large number of institutions, would represent a major stride toward making important content minimally accessible until more complete records could be produced.
This proposition triggered considerable discussion, interest, and a willingness to explore the consequences of such an approach. While at the edges there may not have been consensus or a readiness to make a commitment to implement this strategy, a rethinking process was initiated that the ARL Special Collections Task Force was encouraged to build upon, promulgate, and explore among many stakeholder groups.
Support for more collection-level records as opposed to fewer, more complete records was a point also advanced by Princeton University scholar Stanley Katz, another speaker at the conference. Dr. Katz also advocated strengthening collaboration with scholars and teachers who are using special collections to help establish processing priorities. “We are your primary users and could be your advocates. Don’t let us remain hidden partners in this important effort.”
While local action is at the heart of the emerging equation for addressing the challenges of hidden collections, there was also a sense that a national or North American structure of some kind is needed to provide a pathway and momentum. What could be done to help librarians and archivists commit to the priority of access (some access) over the traditional approach of full records?
Conferees met in small groups to talk about what was needed to help their libraries or archives address the challenge of providing access to uncataloged and unprocessed special collections. A number of ideas and recommendations emerged. There was particularly strong consensus around the idea of promoting a shared commitment to certain themes and subjects to encourage cooperative action among libraries and archives. One example of such a shared theme, mentioned frequently, was the huge problem of unprocessed or barely processed pamphlets and printed ephemera, faced by many. Other ideas for encouraging inter-institutional strategies to expand access to hidden collections included blending arrearage reduction efforts with preservation and retrospective conversion approaches, leveraging digitization efforts, and the sharing of expertise across and between libraries and archives.
Other recommendations from these small group discussions are summarized below:
Make the current situation transparent (inventory and share information on unprocessed collections);
Look for models (best practices for various processing solutions, options for training/staff utilization, for organizing cooperative efforts);
View the description of content as a continuum, take advantage of existing standards that can address the wide varieties of materials and needs, and promote flexibility in selecting the standard to be applied to any materials; and
Find funding for this effort via reallocation, local commitment, and by urging national funding agencies to address the need to recognize the value of hidden collections and the importance of making them accessible to users.
The conference concluded with an impressive panel of representatives of agencies and associations each speaking to their particular interests in advancing this agenda. All spoke to the importance of moving the discussions forward into action plans. The panel consisted of representatives from IMLS, OCLC, LC, IRLA, RLG, NHPRC, CLIR, ACRL RBMS, SAA, NEH, PASCAL, and the Oberlin Group.
The ARL Special Collections Task Force will meet October 14 to discuss following up on the energy and interest shown at the conference and to recommend a mechanism for overseeing and reporting on relevant activities.