Aligning special collections priorities with wider university priorities and fostering financial support from university administration
Engaging the University Community
Tim Pyatt, Dean of the Library, Wake Forest University
Special Collections and archives are often called the “crown jewels” of the University. How can we make sure the university community knows, appreciates, and uses these unique and valuable assets in their teaching, learning, and research as well as for “non-traditional” uses? Some examples of ways to engage this community include:
- Creative uses of collections (beyond just the traditional classroom and research settings)
- Take the collections to the community (when possible)
- Highlight the value of institutional records through alumni engagement and support of campus anniversaries
- Use Archives as evidence to support administrative decisions
The key element for successfully engaging the university is to be visible and not wait for the campus community to come to you.
Background Readings:
- Shulte, Rebecca, “Successful Fundraising with Library and Archives Collaboration.”
- Lawrimore, Erin, “Hop into History: Engaging Community through Archives and Beer.”
Administrative Engagement and Investment
Rosemary Magee, Director, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Cornell University
Those who administer, oversee, and support universities act from a deep sense of mission and commitment. Their institutional roles require intellectual vigor, strategic thinking, and difficult decision making. All commitment of resources must reflect the values of the university and be faithful to those who attend and support it.
Some examples of ways to engage individuals and groups with key administrative and governance roles:
- Be active, informed, and dedicated citizens of the entire university;
- Serve as a ready resource to those who seek information about history, precedents, core values, and rare materials of any sort;
- Seek out members of governance groups (student, faculty, alumni, boards) to serve as partners to demonstrate the depth, significance, and ongoing influence of collections;
- Find both natural and unexpected advocates (e.g., science faculty who are collectors, board members who love history, students who seek internships, alumni who wish to volunteer);
- Invite the broader community to participate in programs and think-tank discussions by making connections with related and unrelated departments and organizations;
- Tell a story, then tell it again, then once more in ever-new ways—but with clear, consistent, and aspirational messaging.
Special collection libraries, by their very nature, offer opportunities for a wide range of engagement and investment—and they provide a true point of distinction for the university.
Background Readings:
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Recommended reading: “Book Collecting: Investing for the Future” by Alice D. Schreyer. Gazette of the Grolier Club, 66 (2015)
