This tag was created by Curtis Fletcher. The last update was by Linda Huynh.
Program Goal - Develop and Manage Content
Holocaust Denial Collection Memo & Budget
Both complementary artifacts (the collection memo and budget documents) represent my understanding of developing and managing content for the interest of target users. In this LIM 502 Collection Development and Management course assignment, I was to pretend I was the university’s collection development librarian tasked to write a proposal memo to the university librarian on reasons to accept a wealthy donor’s Holocaust denial collection and accompanying $2 million donation and develop a budget with the funds that would both highlight the collection and alleviating the library’s current financial struggles. The topic of Holocaust denial is controversial, and in the memo, I justify the reasons to oversee such content – (1) an opportunity to inform and (2) other information institutions to accept and highlight controversial content, too. To manage the goals and intent of how the collection would be curated, I suggested partnering with Jewish heritage institutions and subject-matter specialists knowledgeable about holocaust denial memorabilia. Following that, I recommended two ways to expand access to the collection. The first is to digitize the collection materials because, according to Evans & Schonfeld (2020), studies have shown that users have shifted to decentralized virtual environments to obtain information. Therefore, digitizing the donated collection would make sense. The second is to open a travel research program that invites not just researchers residing in the United States but also researchers abroad. The budget reflects staff salaries, fringe benefits calculation, collection digitizing efforts, non-capital equipment/supplies, acquisition materials/subscriptions, marketing, travel program, storage space, and programming expenses.
Social Media Content for USC Special Collections Library
This video clip artifact stems from my internship with the University of Southern California Special Collections Library and show an aspect of managing content, which is the promotion of collection materials. According to the Society of American Archivists (2023), outreach activities promote the use of the highlighted materials by expanding access to them and improving the awareness of the collection value. While organizing and assessing boxes of donated materials, I discovered that USC has a book collection of dried species of algae collected in North America between 1895 and 1916. I wanted to bring awareness that the materials exist and that an appointment is required to view the books. If posted on social media, the video caption would have said,
Check out these botanical discoveries from our collection! These are dried specimens of various algae discovered in North America between 1895 and 1916. This form of algae study is known as phycology and was led by UC Berkeley botany professor, botanist collector, and algologist William Albert Setchell, Issac Holden, and Frank Shipley Collins, respectfully. Interested in seeing these in person? Make a request and schedule an appointment via specol@usc.edu.
Video and photo credits to Linda Huynh, USC MMLIS student.
Information sources:
Social Networks and Archival Context. (2023). Collins, Frank S. (Frank Shipley), 1848-1920. http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w612630b
University of California, Berkeley. (2009). Collins's obituary of Holden. https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/ina/pba/pba_holden.html
Conclusion
Learning from the Holocaust Denial Collection Memo & Budget and Social Media Content for USC Special Collections Library artifacts, I realized that LIS professionals must always consider the target user accessibility levels to the content when developing and managing it and include content promotion in the plan and deliverable. In the example of the first artifact group, the content was a materials collection, and the second artifact group was a social media Instagram video clip. My takeaways in understanding this goal and taking it with me when I enter the LIS field is that content comes in various forms, and LIS professionals must consider user accessibility and elevate access within the institution's capacity when developing and creating them.
References
Gwen, E., & Schonfeld, R. C. (23, January 2020). It’s not what libraries hold; It’s who libraries serve: Seeking a user-centered future for academic libraries. Ithaka S+R. https://doi.org/10.18665/sr.312608
Society of American Archivists. (2023). Outreach. https://dictionary.archivists.org/entry/outreach.htm
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