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HomeVisual Resources Collection
POLICIES: Collection Development
University of Oregon Libraries
Collection Development Policy
I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The Library acquires visual materials, primarily in the form of slides and photographs, to support the instructional and research needs of the University community. While the materials collected are essentially related to the broad areas encompassed by architecture and allied arts, these by no means limit the breadth of subjects represented in the whole.
The visual materials acquired should provide at least broad coverage in all disciplines that require visual resources for instruction or research. Special effort should be made to acquire images that represent local and regional environments or creative expressions. Quantification of such a collection is impossible because of the many factors that affect the selection or retention of images, namely: quality, availability, view, age, condition, usage, and cost.
II. DEFINITION
The Visual Resources Collection is better described as a format collection than as a subject area. As a format, the Visual Resources Collection includes: 35mm film as 2-inch by 2-inch slides and filmstrips; 2-inch by 2-inch and 3 1/4-inch by 4-inch flexible and glass-plate negatives and positives; all sizes of black-and-white photographs (mounted and unmounted); reproductions of art works ranging from hanging scrolls to mounted magazine clippings; CD-ROMs and videodisks that are collections of art-related images. A small number of audio cassettes that accompanied commercial slide sets are also maintained.
II. CLASSIFICATION
Slides and photographs collected by the Library for the Architecture & Allied Arts branch are classed according to a unique system developed in the Library in the 1940s. This scheme is broadly related to the Dewey Classification System. The use of a unique classification system is not uncommon among libraries in providing access to visual collections because there is no uniform system available for classifying these materials. All materials added to the Visual Resources Collection are accessioned and classified.
CD-ROMs and videodisks housed in the Visual Resources Collection are classified according to Library of Congress standards and included in Janus, the Library's OPAC.
IV. PROGRAMS, COURSES, DEGREES
V. LOCATION OF MATERIALS
The primary location for materials in the Visual Resources Collection is Room 300 Lawrence Hall, adjacent to the Architecture & Allied Arts Library. The photograph collection is housed in Room 304, accessible through Room 300.
Library-owned slides and photographs may also be found in Special Collections (historical photographs) and the MAP Library (aerial photographs and Geography Department slide collection).
VI. SELECTION RESPONSIBILITY
The library subject specialist for visual resources, the Curator of Visual Resources, in the Architecture & Allied Arts Library, has primary responsibility for selection, although faculty and students from all disciplines are encouraged to recommend images for acquisition. Request forms are readily available for use in requesting new materials for purchase.
All announced commercial slide sets that have direct bearing on courses currently taught are considered for purchase. Slide sets covering topics that are not part of the regular curriculum are also examined for their value as research documents or for their future significance based upon published program goals or those outlined by the university at large.
VII. SELECTION TOOLS
The primary tools for selection of slide images of architecture and art are: the Slide Buyers' Guide, 7th edition , ed. Sandra C. Walker and Donald W. Beetham, 1999; "Slide Market New," a quarterly column in the Visual Resources Association Bulletin; and distributors' announcements and catalogs. The Curator maintains a vertical file of catalogs and fliers received as well as descriptive lists that have accompanied purchased slide and photograph sets. Slides and photographs are also acquired from non-commercial photographers whose work has merit and value for the collection.
Special arrangements have been made with several vendors to receive slides and photographs on approval or by annual subscription. Notable among these are Saskia Cultural Documentation (original color slides received quarterly on approval) and University Colour Slide Scheme, Courtauld Institute of Art, London (annual subscription).
VIII. RESOURCE SHARING
Because slides are needed on-demand when used to support the teaching needs of a university, resource sharing has not been possible.
On the other hand, another aspect of "resource sharing" has been in place since 1986. This involves the duplication of approximately 2,000 original slides of historical Oregon architecture annually from the State Historic Preservation Office in Salem. In collecting these duplicates, the Visual Rescues Collection acts as a repository for these important historical materials.
IX. OTHER
1. Gifts and donations (Gift Information for Prospective Donors)
Over the years, Visual Resources Collection has received numerous gifts of slides, photographs, photographic equipment, and documentary literature. All materials received from donors are marked with the name of the donor. If the collection is received in classified order, this organization is documented before any materials are removed for processing. While the aim in processing the materials is to incorporate as many of the usable images as possible into the permanent collection, some collections may be kept separate as special study collections if so warranted.
In acquiring gift materials, the Library should endeavor whenever possible to acquire full rights and control over the images; ideally this would be a dedication of the visual resource to the public domain.
To assist with processing, the Library should also request additional financial or in-kind support from the donor or the estate.
2. Physical processing methods and standards
The Visual Resources Collection is firmly committed to the development and maintenance of high-quality instructional and research resources. Binding and mounting methods that protect the integrity of the film or print are practiced regularly. Older materials that were acquired and prepared for use before these practices were recognized are currently being restored either on demand or when repairs are required. Slides that have been damaged either by use or through the natural aging process typical in some of the earlier, unstable film types, are being replaced with the best and most lasting images that are currently available.
Maintained by: Ed Teague, ehteague@uoregon.eduLast Modified: 09/08/2006