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alexa-bat · 5 years ago

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Acquisition class Assignment

Assignment 5

Alexa Batrynchuk

LIBRLT350

The acquisition tour took place at Central Library in Hamilton, Ontario on November 13, 2018. Information came from two different sources, Aida Rudnik, and Ian Reedy. Aida and Ian do the tour separately from one another, but during the same time frame, one after the other. Aida was not available for the tour, and Ian was unsure what exactly Aida goes over with us, however, she sent along email attachments se would normally give out at the end of her tour segment. The attachments included HPL fund codes, fund hierarchy, technical services breakdown, Q&A sheet, and an old step-by-step on how they order materials from an old vender. Despite the tour only being half of a regular one, this did not diminish from the tour Ian gave, as it was a great experience to see everything in action in the basement of Central Library.

The Hamilton Public Library, or HPL, is the parent organisation to Central. Hamilton libraries have operated since the 1830s, although private branches existed before that. They started off as Mechanics’ Institutes, which are educational buildings formed to provide adult education, mostly regarding technical subject matter. Later they became public libraries when the free libraries establishment occurred. The Central Library is in the heart of downtown Hamilton, and opened in September 16, 1890, but later moved to another building in 1913, and replaced again in 1980 in the current York Boulevard location.in 2010, Central underwent renovations lasting 18 months, giving it a brand new first floor that takes advantage of natural lighting. The library received the Architectural and Design Transformation award from the Ontario Library Association in 2012 for the reinventive look.

In Central Library the acquisitions department is a part of the Technical Services and includes a Full-time Acquisitions and Serials specialist with support from the Manager of Technical Services. The material budget for the department in 2018 is 3,608,000.00 and are divided by audience and format. The department is structured and run with each person having their own station in the basement of Central Library, and everyone has their own nook for themselves and their job. For instance, Ian over sees getting materials for the library, while the woman across the aisle digitalises archives and makes the library website flow. The department workflow is setup where each person oversees a section, Ian puts in orders, the woman across from him digitalises archives and works the website, others accept the materials, and receive inventory. The searching tool primarily used is Innovative Polaris, and Invoice payments to vendors are issued through the City of Hamilton’s Peoplesoft platform.

The department's operations aspects are fully automated, from selection, creating orders, orders to vendors, receiving invoices from vendors, and processing vendor invoices. The department in Central mostly gets their materials direct from the vendor websites, which include access to reviews, publisher’s catalogues, subscription services. Their major venders include Whitehots, CVSMidwest Tape, Library Bound, Multicultural Books & Video. No approval plans, they use automatic release plans (ARPs) for mass-market paperbacks, juvenile paperbacks, Large print books, Multilingual materials. The acquisitions department creates a profile for the vendor, provides an annual budget, and selection criteria, which includes percentage of fiction, non-fiction, series, etc. Most materials arrive with cataloguing MARC records, already processed, and some additional handling is completed on-site. Ian, at first, was unsure what the future would hold for the department, but like Aida’s email, he saw the shift from physical materials to digital materials being the biggest issue which will affect their department in the next few years. Aida hopes that with the heavy shift toward providing materials digitally, that will bring a more reliance on subscription databases and digital services, such as Overdrive.

Overall, despite this tour was only half of a normal one Central Library acquisitions usually gives, it was an eye-opening experience. Many people came and went within the department as our tour went on, so our group was not able to meet and greet everyone, but those we did meet were so enthusiastic with their job, and us as newcomers, and the department was never quiet the entire time we toured. It was a big community, where everyone enjoyed what they did, and each others company. It was amazing to see a passionate group of people doing what they love to make the Central Library and the others in the HPL branch libraries run smoothly.

Works Cited

“Central Library.” HPL, www.hpl.ca/branches/central-library.

Rudnik, Aida. “FW: Acquisitions Tour - Information from tour.” Message to Alexa Batrynchuk. 4 Nov 2018, 07:59. E-mail.

“Hamilton Public Library (Ontario).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Nov. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Public_Library_(Ontario).

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alexa-bat · 5 years ago

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Archive course Assignment

Assignment 1 Case Study

Alexa Batrynchuk

LIBRRM103

CITY OF RIVERVIEW

ARCHIVES POLICY

Establishing an Archival Program

To set up a proper archive, separate from the current records management, first needs to be established why the archive is needed. An archive continuously gathers the materials all under one roof for easier access and storage, instead of keeping them in separate institutes. While each institute may have had control of their records since their establishment, the purpose of an archive is to keep the records that are not easily available from various sources for public consumption. Having an established archive system combines these documents, and preserves them for future use.

The materials the archive will acquire

An archive continuously gathers the materials that have been asked to acquire, all under one roof for easier access and storage, instead of keeping them in separate institutes. While each institute may have had control of their records since their establishment, the records are not easily available for public consumption, and have people lost on who to go to for which specific document. Having an established archive system combines these documents, and preserves them for future use. The materials being asked to acquire for the archive are:

-The local library housed newspapers on microfilm

- Physical copies of Riverview newspapers from the newspaper

- Map and photographs are with the local historical society, as well as various public records ready for donation

- Various other public records, such as books, reside with local clubs like Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, and Women’s Institute Tweedsmuir

-Loans from other institutes

-Purchases from other institutes

Functions for the archive

-Acquisitions are the centre of all archives, and records are the keys to success to providing the public with knowledge

-Created for the public to house Riverview records to bring together the past and keep the public informed for the present

-Physical control is all about being able to locate that materials housed in the archive. This is generally obtained when acquiring the material from its original location, and will be refined as the material gets processed through the archiving system

-Intellectual control, from how the material is held, to where it originated from, and what is contained inside the material

Services provided by the archive for the public

-Procedures that are in place to improve control and retrieval of materials

-3-D print artifacts

-Reference services whether it is finding a text, making a photocopy

-Separate rooms for more fragile material that require a staff member’s assistance

-Brochures will be set up on the steps to donate

-Provide records management services

- Infrequent record storage to reduce storage while making sure records are available as long as necessary

-Photocopying, scanning etc. within the copyright law and the donator’s wishes

Services provided by the archive for loaners and donators are:

- At the discretion of the Riverview archive, original materials may subject to being loaned or returned to the original organisation or individual for periods at a time

-Respecting the donor privacy and their personal records as specified in the donation

-Loaner program

-Donation program

-Purchasing program

-Legal control must be clear. Ensuring the archive has the right to carry other functions with said materials.

The resources provided by the archive

-Funding from the city, or even the province, as well as the Riverview public

-Workshops for the public are research methods for genealogy

-Scavenger hunts

-Historical plays

-Sewing old clothes to be used in the plays

-Ghost walks

-City tours that highlight old key points from the history records the archives would house.

Running these classes would require the help of volunteers from the community, and implementing interns from surrounding schools. With the right advertisements and social media reach, the archives will flourish.

Advisory Board

Outlining the Advisory Board, who are going to be on it, and how they’d operate in an archival situation. As the name suggests, the board operates to provide advice and assistance. It does not exist in the same bubble as the archive sponsor.

-The board advises the Chief Executer and Keeper on plans and strategies and their risks of keeping the archive running

-Various advisor groups exist on the board, such as records decision, cataloging, public access, and stakeholders. The role the Board would play would be to link the archives with its patrons, as well as assist in external fund-raising, and to side with the archives or its issues internally and externally

-Stakeholders would consist of individuals from the Riverview council, Archives of Ontario, Ontario historic Society, members from the various clubs of which the materials were obtained, and members of the public, in a rotation system

Each party would provide a unique role, such as an individual from the council would inform on the city’s behalf, as well as budgets for the new year. Archive of Ontario would provide a provincial look, if Ontario archive systems shift, or change in any way, to better serve the public. Ontario Historic Society would help sponsor projects and programs, as well as acting as a professional network. The clubs such as Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, and Women’s Institute Tweedsmuir, would help organise the records provided by their institutes. Members of the public are also welcomed to sit in on any meetings held, to voice opinions and concerns, to give the everyday patron who uses the archives a voice.

Pros to an Advisory Board

As an Advisory Board is a different extension of the archives than a sponsor to the archives, there are pros and cons to having one to begin with. Pros to a Board are:

- They are people gathered to help you grow, and flourish

-Diverse opinions and backgrounds

-They are also a network of knowledge, connecting you to people far outside your original range. With having people of influence on the Board, or having people who know people, this could attract investors to the archive

Cons to an Advisory Board

-Cons to an Advisory Board are start up, boards are hard to start and maintain, with the focus usually highlighted elsewhere on the project

-Usually those who sit in on the Board are paid, unless they themselves are invested enough in the project not to mind volunteering their services

-They as a group, if voting is involved, could halt anything from being done in a timely manner, and require more meetings than originally planned

-As well as the growth is not instantaneous, and takes time and effort to get people on board and invested in the project. The records are coming from every source on the Board, and their opinions matter and deserve to be heard

Archive operational issues

Setting up an archive is no small task, and the work does not stop once the initial materials are acquired, but it will provide the public with easier access to records and materials that will help strengthen our community. Accessing restrictions, copyright, loans etc. will be dealt by:

-Materials do not leave the archive, and may be subject to a zero-handling policy

-Scanning, photocopying etc. may be subject to policies of the loaner or copyright under the Canadian law

-Circulating materials with other archives may be restricted by the loaner

-Fees may be applicable on occasion for research services provided by staff

-Engaging in the community by promoting city tourism and the development of Riverview

With the help of the community, the clubs, and the council, the archive will be a pleasant experience for everyone to enjoy.

Works Cited

“Boards and Advisory Groups.” The National Archives,

nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/our-role/boards-and-advisory-groups/.

Boitnott, John. “Pros & Cons Of A Startup Advisory Board.” intuit quickbooks,

quickbooks.intuit.com/r/advisors-and-board/pros-cons-of-a-startup-advisory-board

BEING A BY-LAW TO ESTABLISH THE MANDATE AND ACTIVITIES OF THE

ELGIN COUNTY ARCHIVES. Lecture 2 Operations and Functions of

Modern Archives.

elgin.ca/ElginCounty/CulturalServices/Archives/documents/bylaw.pdf

Morris, Rhett. “Mentors Are The Secret Weapons Of Successful Startups.” Tech Crunch, 22 Mar

2015, techcrunch.com/2015/03/22/mentors-are-the-secret-weapons-of-

successful-startups/.

POLICY 1.30 – University Records and Archives. Lecture 2 Operations and Functions of

Modern Archives. 22 Nov 2001,

uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/policies_procedures/section1/mapp130.pdf.

“What We Do.” The Ontario Historical Society, ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/index.php/whatwedo.

“About the Archives of Ontario.” Archives of Ontario,

archives.gov.on.ca/en/about/index.aspx.

“Workshops and Events.” Archives Association of Ontario, aao-archivists.ca/Workshops.

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