Strategies for Advancing Hidden Collections

We understand that the six webinars included in the Strategies for Advancing Hidden Collections (SAHC) series only scratch the surface on the issues faced by those dealing with processing Hidden Collections. We hope that the resources assembled below will provide useful information to achieve your project processing goals, supplementing the content of the webinar series.

The below resources have been compiled by a group of experts in the GLAM (Gallery, Library, Archives, Museum) community. We have done our best to present a wide range of solutions and suggestions for a variety of collecting organizations.

Project Coordinator

Joy M. Banks, Consultant

Speakers

• Angela Kipp, Collection Manager, TECHNOSEUM and Administrator, Registrar Trek
• Rosemary Pleva Flynn, Principal Librarian, Library and Information Services Team Lead, Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota
• Sarah Leu, Project Archivist, Historical Society of Pennsylvania
• Beth Knazook, Library Juice Academy and Queen's University
• Jessica Bitely, Director of Preservation Services, Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)
• Yvonne Ng, Senior Archivist, WITNESS
• Ellen Ryan, Head of Special Collections and Archives and Assistant Professor, Idaho State University

Curriculum Committee

• Stephanie Gaub Antequino, Memorabilia Archivist, Planet Hollywood International
• Casey Davis, Project Manager, American Archive of Public Broadcasting
• Tamar Evangelista-Dougherty, Consultant
• Linda Hocking, Curator of Library and Archives, Litchfield Historical Society
• Daniel Johnson, Digital Preservation Librarian, University of Iowa
• Holly Mengel, Manuscripts Cataloging Librarian, University of Pennsylvania
• Matthew Peek, Military Collections Archivist, State Archives of North Carolina
• Kelly Revak, Processing Archivist, Library of Congress

If you have any suggestions for resources that would be appropriate additions the this resources library, please let us know.

Where to begin: Basics of project planning for GLAM organizations

The resources in this section will help lay the foundation for successful project planning and management.

Additional information on the webinar can be found here.

The webinar recording can be accessed here when available.

General

• CLIR 2010 Hidden Collections Symposium
• CLIR 2015 Hidden Collections Symposium & Unconference
• CLIR Hidden Collections Registry
• WebJunction Planning & Coordination Topic Page
• Connecting to Collections Care Resources
• OpenGLAM

Table of Contents

Selecting the best collection management system

Note: Some of these resources may be dated but can still contain useful information. SEE ALSO Collection access: Describing, cataloging, and processing with the future in mind

For all institution types

• CarLibrary.org - Collection Management Systems - A detailed resource discussing all aspects of selecting a management system including a number of links to additional resources. The page also includes a link to a summary table of a wide range of CMS software systems.

For Museums

• Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Museum Collections Management System - Tips on selecting the right museum CMS software from History Associates, Inc..
• Collections Management Software - A list with additional information on software systems designed specifically for the museum collection management environment from the Museum Association of New York.
• Museum Collections Management Systems: One Size Does NOT Fit All - Masters Thesis by Elana C. Carpinone, Seton Hall University, May 2010
• Collection management systems: Museums and the Web 2011 - A listing and explanation of collection management systems represented at the Museums and the Web 2011 event.

For Libraries

• The Small Libraries Manager's Handbook, edited by Alice Graves. Includes several chapters on system selection.

For Archives

• Archival Management Software - A report for the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) by Lisa Spiro, January 2009

Table of Contents

Collection Prioritization & Assessment

• PACSCL Survey Initiative - Includes information and resources from the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL) Consortial Survey Initiative project to assess backlogged archival collections.
• Taking Stock and Making Hay: Archival Collections Assessment - A report from OCLC by Martha O'Hara Conway and Merrilee Proffitt, July 2011.
• Strategy and Priorities for Cataloging the National Woman's Party Collection - A report from the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum that can be used as a sample collection analysis tool
• Benchmarks in Collections Care - The resources page provides access to information on Benchmarks in Collection Care as well as the self assessment checklist to aid in establishing realistic colleciton goals. This is a resource provided by the Collections Trust.
• Survey Instrument for Audio & Moving Image Collections - A resource developed by the Columbia University Libraries to inventory and assess audio and moving image materials.
• Special Collections Materials Survey Instrument - A resource developed by the Columbia University Libraries to evaluate under-processed archival collections.
• Standards and Excellence Program (StEPs) - A self-study program developed by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) designed specifically for small to mid-sized organizations.
• American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Assessment Programs - A page describing the Continuum of Excellence to help move organizations towards better stewardship of their collections.
• IMLS Collections Assessment for Preservation Program (CAP) - A grant program through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Deadline for applications vary.

Table of Contents

Workflow

• Library Workflow Exchange - A space for libraries to share and find workflows and best practices across institutions.
• Workflows from the Documenting Modern Living project - Examples of workflows from the Documenting Modern Living: Digitizing the Miller House and Garden Collection Tumblr page

Table of Contents

Project Management Tools

• Improve Your Collaboration: 18 Project Management Tools for Marketing Agencies - Not GLAM specific, but a resource by Jami Oetting on selecting a project management tool with some suggested software.
• 14 best free project management software programs 2016: Great project management software tools that don't cost a penny - By Matt Egan and posted on TechWorld, includes software and brief explanations of each.
• 21 Ways to Excel at Project Management - A detailed step by step tool from ProjectSmart for successful project management from beginning to end.

Table of Contents

Building resources and relationships: Determining what and who you need

The resources in this section will help guide project managers through the process of estimating project costs, communicating costs with others, and building relationships for support.

Additional information on the webinar can be found here.

The webinar recording can be accessed here when available.

General

• WebJunction Budgets & Funding Resource Page - Resources, webinars, and other information on budget planning and development for libraries that can be applied to all GLAM organizations.
• Connecting to Collections Care Resources Page - For more information on budgets and increasing collection support, select the Increasing Support for Collections Care from the list.
• MAP Resources for Fund Development - Resources from the MAP for Nonprofits, serving nonprofits through provision of consulting and training.
• Free Management Library All About Nonprofit Fundraising Resources - A extensive listing of resources for nonprofits from the Free Management Library, a service of Authenticity Consulting, LLC.

Table of Contents

Buy-in from Board of Directors, Community, Volunteers

• Community Involvement in Museums, Archives and Libraries: Toolkit for improving practice - A pdf resource developed by COGS (Communities and Organizations - Growth and Support) for Yorkshire Museums Council, 2002. The toolkit includes a number of practical resources and guides for strengthening community involvement.

Table of Contents

Calculating processing time, staff time, and estimating supply costs

• Computing the Total Cost of Archival Processing - A technical leaflet by Thomas Wilsted produced by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC), 1989.
• George Washington University Digitization Cost Calculator - (unavailable)
• Cost Finding Exercise - Word Document Download. An exercise by Elizabeth Rose completed during her masters work at Southern Connecticut State University. The exercise considers the direct and indirect costs of processing an archival collection and includes references for additional information.
• Beneficial Shocks: The Place of Processing-Cost Analysis in Archival Administration - Research article by Paul Ericksen and Robert Shuster from American Archivist, Winter 1995. Includes discussion of both theoretical analysis and practical application.
• Rates of Processing Manuscripts and Arhives - PDF download. An article by Karen Temple Lynch and Thomas E. Lynch from The Midwestern Archivist, p. 25-35, Vol. VII, No. 1, 1982 available through JSTOR. Provides an analysis of processing rates from various grant proposals and considers how variable levels of processing affect cost.
• Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Yale University) Processing Estimates - A guidelines developed in 2015 to consider the cost to process, arrange, and describe collections of personal papers.
• The Cost of Processing - A blog post from 2010 by Emily Walters from North Carolina State University Libraries reflecting on estimating costs for their Changing the Landscape: Exposing the Legacy of Modernist Architects and Landscape Architects multi-year project.
• Costs of Cataloging - A chapter by Felix Reichmann in Library Trends 2 (1953) providing historical context for cataloging cost analysis.
• Cost Analysis of an Automated and Manual Cataloging and Book Processing System - An article by Joselyn Druschel from the Journal of Library Automation (Vol. 14, no. 1, March 1981). Showing the historical argument for automating cataloging and processing to reduce cost.
• Assessing the Cost and Value of Bibliographic Control - An article by Erin Stalbert and Christopher Cronin from Library Resources & Technical Services (Vol. 55, No. 3, 2011) published by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS). Provides a detailed discussion of the past and present issues with estimating cataloging costs.
• Improving Library Management by Using Cost Analysis Tools: A Case Study for Cataloguing Processes - Article by Lorena Siguenza-Guzman, Alexandra Van den Abbeele, and Dirk Cattrysse from LIBER Quarterly, the Journal of the Association of European Research Libraries. This was originally presented at the LIBER conference in 2013 and discusses the application of TDABC (Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing) procedures in libraries.
• RBMS Page on Cataloging - Includes thoughts and definitions on cataloging from the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL. A discussion of cataloging metrics is included as well as a resource list.

Table of Contents

Communicating to people who need to approve the project

• 8 Best Practices for Stakeholder Engagement - An article by John Parker from Enfocus Solutions (2012). Offers practical suggestions to engage and communicate with project stakeholders.
• Active Stakeholder Participation: An Agile Best Practice - A detailed discussion of stakeholder engagement from Agile Modeling including definitions and useful charts.
• Programming on a Shoestring Budget - Video presentation from David Mixdorf from South Sioux City Public Library (NE) presented in February 2013 for the Big Talk from Small Libraries online conference.
• Template for Strategic Communications Plan - Practical template developed for use by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation including worksheets to develop a new plan.

Table of Contents

Making the most of people: Recruitment, retention, and recognition

Additional information on the webinar can be found here.

The webinar recording can be accessed here when available.

Collection access: Describing, cataloging, and processing with the future in mind

Additional information on the webinar can be found here.

The webinar recording can be accessed here when available.

Overcoming project hurdles: Approaches to identifying and managing collection red flags

Additional information on the webinar can be found here.

The webinar recording can be accessed here when available.

Closing the loop: Project assessment and leveraging goals for future planning

Additional information on the webinar can be found here.

The webinar recording can be accessed here when available.