Building a Special Collection of Children′s Literature in Your Library: : Identifying, Maintaining and Sharing Rare or Collectible Items

Citation

Higgins, S.E. (1999), "Building a Special Collection of Children′s Literature in Your Library: : Identifying, Maintaining and Sharing Rare or Collectible Items", Collection Building, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 4-7. https://doi.org/10.1108/cb.1999.18.3.4.3

Zena Sutherland′s introduction to this selection identifies it as being a companion work to the standard text bibliographies, Subject Collections in Children′s Literature, Special Collections in Children′s Literature and Dolores Jones′ 1995 work, Special Collections in Children′s Literature: An International Directory. However, Jones, curator of the renowned de Grummond Children′s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi, has created a guidebook for finding and sharing the library′s hidden treasures.

In this collection of essays curators and staff of established special collections clarify many aspects of maintaining and using a children′s special collection, from appraising rare and collectible items to fundraising, to cataloguing, to establishing preservation and security policies and to making the collection accessible. DianeJude McDowell′s essay provides a glimpse of some of the uses of such a collection for historical research, popular reading, documentation of publishing techniques and social theory inquiry. Specific suggestions for appraising are given by Justin Schuller, who advises using the Internet to verify the completeness and relative rarity of other copies of the same book. Mary Bogan lists the basic principles of conservation and the responsibilities of a preservation librarian; she also discusses invaluable electronic resources and referral services to aid in collection building. Margaret Mahoney speaks of the repository and consulting role of the children′s special collection in the community and how relevance, expanded clientele and new sources of funding are necessary for survival. Karen Hoyle suggests ways of fundraising using the maximum involvement of staff, donors and volunteers. Linda Murphy and Mary Beth Dunhouse offer public relations and programming advice. Sereena Day speaks of the benefit and motivation of a successful Friends Group.

If the primary purpose of a special collection is to preserve the classic and masterpieces, as well as popular and lesser works that are out of print, and if a librarian has a responsibility to a nation′s intellectual heritage to preserve and provide access to the collection, then this guidebook is an engaging resource for the professional practice of special librarianship in children′s literature. It is a perfect companion to standard texts in the field.