Collection Development Policy
J. EDGAR AND LOUISE S. MONROE LIBRARY
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
I. Statement of Purpose
The Department of Special Collections & Archives is part of the Monroe Library of Loyola University New Orleans. The primary mission of the Monroe Library is to serve the teaching and research needs of Loyola University faculty and students as well as the research needs of the broader scholarly community. The role of Special Collections & Archives in accomplishing this mission is to collect, preserve, and make available published materials, manuscripts, and archives that are rare, unique, or in some other way extraordinary.
II. Collecting Priorities for Manuscripts and Archives
All archival repositories collect original documentary materials that possess long-term value. Each repository tries to distinguish itself by collecting manuscripts and archives in certain subject fields.
Loyola's Department of Special Collections & Archives emphasizes the importance of collecting original materials related to the Society of Jesus, to Loyola University New Orleans, and to specific fields in which Loyola faculty and alumni have excelled or in which Jesuit values have found expression. In particular, the department concentrates its efforts on collecting in the following subject areas.
A. New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus: The department collects
the
archives of the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus. These archives
document Jesuit activity in a geographical area that includes ten states
in the South and Southwest. The department also collects the personal papers
of some of the province's outstanding Jesuits.
B. Communications: The department collects materials related to the fields of communications, especially as they pertain to post-1945 New Orleans.
C. Social Justice: The department collects materials related to struggles
for social
justice. It concentrates on collecting materials dealing with civil rights,
labor, and the environment in post-1945 New Orleans.
D. Performing Arts: The department collects materials pertaining to the
following:
Individuals who have made contributions to the performing arts of the greater
New Orleans area; individuals from the greater New Orleans area who have
distinguished themselves in the performing arts nationally or internationally;
and performing arts organizations of the greater New Orleans area.
E. New Orleans Writers: The department collects the papers of contemporary
and
twentieth-century New Orleans writers.
F. Archives of Loyola University New Orleans: The department collects university publications and university photographs. It also houses university records dating from roughly 1911 to 1980. At present the department does not collect additional university records.
III. Collecting Priorities for Published Materials
The Department of Special Collections & Archives collects published materials that support its unique manuscript and archival holdings. These may include, but not be limited to, the following: bibliographies and other reference books, books by authors and other individuals for whom we hold manuscripts, and books pertinent to organizations for which we hold manuscripts. In addition, the department collects in the following areas:
A. The History of New Orleans and of Louisiana: The department actively collects newly published materials and selectively collects older and out of print materials. Of special interest are books relating to the Jesuits and the Catholic Church in New Orleans and Louisiana. The department also selectively collects materials about the Jesuit Order and about the Catholic Church outside of Louisiana.
B. New Orleans Authors: The department collects books by New Orleans authors whether or not we hold their papers. At the same time, we do not attempt to duplicate strong collections at nearby institutions. For example, mystery novels (which are collected by Xavier University) and cookbooks (which are collected by the Newcomb College Center on Women) will be collected selectively. Whenever feasible, new acquisitions will include the authors' signatures and/or inscriptions.
C. New Orleans Imprints: The department collects books of all periods with New Orleans imprints.
D. Antiquarian Books: For the purposes of this policy, antiquarian books are defined as those printed prior to 1800. Besides collecting antiquarian books that support our manuscript collections, the department collects those that represent milestones in the development of printing from Gutenberg to the end of the hand press period.
E. Fine Press Books/Artists' Books: For the period following 1800, the department collects books that were printed, usually in limited editions, on hand presses. These books consciously emulate those of the hand press period, emphasizing the artistry of book components: Type, paper, method of impression, illustrations, and bindings. The department also collects artists' books, generally produced after 1960, that use the book form as a vehicle to create a work of art. These books may be produced in varying media.
F. Walker Percy and His Circle: The department collects works by and about Walker Percy. In addition we collect works by and about individuals with a literary or personal relationship to Percy.
IV. Acquisition Guidelines
Loyola's Department of Special Collections & Archives adheres to the following guidelines when collecting original manuscripts and archives.
A. Deed of Gift: The department does not accept materials without a legal
transfer of
title, deed of gift or deposit, or other official acknowledgement.
B. Loans and Deposits: The department accepts materials on loan or on deposit
only
for extraordinary reasons and usually with the understanding that the materials
are to be donated outright at a later date.
C. Appraisals: The department is legally unable to appraise or to pay others
to appraise
donated materials. It will provide donors the names of qualified appraisers.
And when appropriate, the Division of Institutional Advancement will work
with a donor to obtain an appraisal and to obtain information on the tax
benefits of gifts.
D. Closed Collections: The department does not accept collections that are
closed to
public access in perpetuity.
E. Deaccessioning: The department reserves the right to deaccession any
materials
within its collections, subject to the terms of acquisition and the notification
of the donor or the donor's heirs.
F. Archival Cooperation: The department recognizes the importance of cooperation
among archival repositories. If offered materials that fall outside its collecting
purview or that clearly belong elsewhere, the department will refer the
donor to an appropriate archival repository.
IV. Review and Revision of the Collection Development Policy
To keep abreast of changing conditions and new opportunities, the library's Special Collections Team will meet during the spring semester of each academic year to review and, if necessary, to revise this collection development policy.
