Introduction to Special Collections and Archives Danette Cook Adamson Special Collections Librarian

Goals for this session: Learn about our own “special collections” and how they differ from other library materials Learn procedures for using archival materials Learn about other repositories with special collections Learn about our campus history

Special Collections Part Library Part Museum Part Archive

Some Special Collections strengths: Campus history California history and other local history Wine Industry Collection Poetry Mycology (fungi and mushrooms) Art and Architecture

Examples of Campus History Sources: Archives subject files Campus Newspaper College catalogs Oral History Interviews Photographs Websites Yearbooks

Examples of California History Sources: Early California Travels series - First-hand accounts previously unpublished Book Club of California - first-hand accounts of Pacific Coast history previously unpublished Images of America series - Photos of neighborhoods, towns and cities

What are “Archives? Files or “records” from a business, organization or government Personal papers created by an individual

Procedures for Using Special Collections 1. All visitors must sign in. 2. Backpacks and brief cases must be left in a designated area. Only notepaper may be brought to the reading tables. 3. Material is housed in closed stacks. A staff member will bring needed materials to the study tables. Materials may be used only in the Special Collections Room. Users must personally return all material to a staff member.

Procedures for Using Special Collections 4. Use pencil only. This prevents accidental ink marks on the materials. Pencils are available at the tables. 5. Handle materials with care. No marks should be added or erased. Handle loose sheets and volume pages carefully by their edges; support book spines. 6. Use white cotton gloves when handling photographic materials. Staff will provide them.

Procedures for Using Special Collections 7. Do not eat or drink while using materials in the Special Collections Room. 8. Manuscripts and records in file folders and boxes must be kept in their original filing sequence. Please work with one folder at a time.

2 Archival Principles: Provenance - Keeps records together based on their creator. They are not intermingled with other collections, even when they share the same subject. Original Order - Preserves the arrangement of the files as established by their creator. This protects the original relationships, meaning and context.

Procedures for Using Special Collections 9. Ask permission before making copies. Can only copy when it does not injure the materials or violate donor agreements or copyright restrictions. 10. If your research is published, consider giving the Special Collections unit a copy or let us know the bibliographic citation.

Web Resources