Purpose: To outline the goals and objectives of the Special Collections.
Overview
I. Introduction
A. The Blake Library Collection Development Policy provides guidelines for acquiring materials collection-wide. The collection as a whole is primarily intended to support the curricula of UMFK programs. Special Collections serves a similar purpose, albeit with a more narrowly defined focus.
B. The Collections covered by this policy include: Rare Materials Collection, State of Maine and Aroostook County Collection, University Collection, Dickey-Lincoln Collection, and the St. John Valley Collection (held cooperatively with the Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes).
II. UMFK Community and Goals/Objectives of the Special Collections
A. Faculty and Students: The Special Collections augment the classroom needs by providing primary sources and specialized materials. Also, the University Collection honors the UMFK’s history and its alumni, and creates for students and faculty a sense of an enduring community.
B. UMFK Staff: The University Collection is also important for staff; it provides historical perspective on events and establishes a collective memory. This collection also serves as a resource for historical materials helpful for grant writing and press releases.
C. St. John Valley Community: The collections housed here provide materials of interest to the community concerning local matters such as the Dickey-Lincoln project. The Maine and Aroostook County Collections also provide local history materials.
D. Acadian Archives: The Library works collaboratively with the Acadian Archives and endeavors to support its mission to the University and St. John Valley Community.
III. Priorities and Limitations
A. Formats: The library will collect materials in a variety of formats. As a general rule, the library does not accept artifacts. The forms the library does accept include, but are not limited to:
1. Print materials
2. Microform materials
3. Audio-visual materials
4. Sheet maps and aerial photographs
5. Kits and manipulatives
B. Language: The Library will primarily collect English language materials, with some emphasis placed on French with regard to the Franco-American, Acadian and Canadian culture.
C. Dates of Publication: The Library does not have the capacity to purchase ‘rare books’ for investment, but may purchase items which relate directly to the scope of the Special Collections.
D. Duplication: Although the scope and interest of the Library’s collections may overlap, the Library will avoid exact duplication of materials, except in cases of circulating copies. Also, in order to maintain the uniqueness of the Special Collections, the library also avoids duplicating the exact qualities of other libraries’ Special Collections.
E. Donations/Gifts: Gifts are always welcome by the Library staff, and will be accepted to the Special Collections only if they are within the scope of these collections. The Library staff will also consider the condition of the materials and determine if the Library has the capacity to preserve and maintain them. Only in extremely rare instances will Blake Library consider acquiring a collection that would be maintained intact or be archival in nature.
F. Controversial Material: The Library adheres to the principles set forth in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, particularly as they apply to censorship (Appendix I). Materials will not be refused on the basis of controversial content, but instead will be selected within the context of patrons’ needs and the collection’s parameters. The Library does not endorse the views of the material it holds, but allows patrons to determine the worthiness of those materials for their own particular usage.
The Collections The following collections will be housed in the Special Collections Room. These collections do not circulate.
I. Rare Materials Collection
A. This is a collection of materials on a variety of subjects, which serve as primary sources for research.
B. Rare materials are accepted on the same terms as other materials in the general collection. The library does not actively collect in this area, but gladly accepts gifts according to the collection levels noted in the current Collection Development policy.
II. State of Maine and Aroostook County Collection
A. This collection covers materials related to Maine State history, specifically to the land and communities of Aroostook County.
B. The library actively collects the works of local authors/illustrators from Aroostook County and specifically the St. John Valley.
C. In an attempt to avoid duplication of materials between the Special Collections and the Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes, this collection will collect only published works about the St. John Valley.
III. University Collection
A. The Library collects materials related to the Madawaska Training School, Fort Kent Normal School Fort Kent State College of the University of Maine and the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
B. The collection includes but is not limited to: yearbooks, student handbooks, course catalogs, and other University publications. Unfortunately, the library does not have the capacity to house the University archives, and therefore cannot accept business records or other such materials.
Administration and Patron Services
I. Budget
A. The Special Collections does not currently have a budget. Therefore, purchases for these collections must come from the general fund for the item in its format (book, periodical, audio-visual).
B. Any repairs or preservation initiatives should be undertaken with great consideration. Due to the lack of budget, the moneys for such work would have to come from another fund.