AVON HISTORY ROOM

POLICY STATEMENT 

The establishment of the Avon History Room was a joint effort of the Avon Historical Society and the Avon Library Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is grateful for the contribution and participation of the Historical Society, for without their efforts the Avon History Room would not be a reality. Without their volunteer help in staffing the room and accessing the collection through indexing and filing, the History Room would not be available to the general public.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:

The objective of the Avon History Room at the Avon Free Public Library is to locate, collect, preserve, and make available for public research books, pamphlets, newspapers, census records, periodicals, photographs, diaries, yearbooks, maps, atlases, audio‑visual materials, and manuscripts that document the social, economic, natural, and genealogic history of Avon.

Emphasis on collecting will be on people, industries, businesses, politics, religion, clubs and other organizations in Avon. The geographic area to be covered will be Avon and environs. The chronological period to be collected will be from the Colonial Period (17th century) to the present. Preservation of the existing collection is a priority and a recognized need. The Library will work in cooperation with the Avon Historical Society and other historical collection agencies.

ACQUISITION OF ITEMS:

The Avon Library welcomes donations to the Avon History Room. The material to be added should be consistent with the collection goals of the Library. The Library cannot accept materials encumbered with conditions imposed by the donor. The Library reserves the right not to accept an offer if the materials are duplicate, not relevant, not of sufficient importance, or are of a size and condition that would impose an undue storage or conservation burden on the Library. In cases where special handling is required, the donor may be asked for a donation to help cover costs.

Gifts will be accepted only if given unconditionally. The Library will not accept loans. Once an item is donated to the Library and is cataloged as part of the historical collection, the Library is the sole owner of that item. All items presently in the collection at the time of the writing of this policy are considered a part of the permanent collection of the Library. Donations must be accompanied by an inventory, or specific description of each item donated, stating who donated and when. The donor is responsible for any appraisals for tax purposes. If a gift is deemed not appropriate for the collection, the donor will be referred to other organizations who will have an interest or need for the item.

DEACCESSIONS:

The following criteria will be considered in removing material from the collection: usefulness and physical condition. All deaccesssions should be made in consultation with the Library Director and/or Assistant Director. They are empowered to deaccession materials of modest value.

The Library Board shall be the final authority in deaccessioning materials of larger value (rare books, manuscripts, etc.).  The Avon Free Public Library has the right to dispose of materials as necessary, including

returning unwanted portions of the gift to the donor, sale or placing materials, in another repository. The Avon Historical Society will be notified of the possible disposition of any materials in the History Room.

should the Society be interested in retaining any of those items.

INSURANCE:

Provision  for insurance coverage will be covered by the Avon Free Public Library's policy as a department of the Town of Avon.

CARE OF THE COLLECTION:

At all times, individuals using the materials in the Avon History Room should be aware of their fragility and value. The most fragile and valuable materials will be photoduplicated for use by researchers. Acid‑free file folders and boxes will be used as well as polyester encapsulation for further protection against deterioration. Storage will be on enamel‑baked metal shelves and file cabinets. Any in‑house exhibit will be carefully considered as to physical protection. Volunteers will use white gloves to handle the most valuable materials; no pens or felt‑tipped pens may be used when using the materials in the Avon History Room.

 ACCESS TO COLLECTIONS:

          Access to the materials in the Avon History Room can be only when the Library is open to the public. Volunteers from the Avon Historical Society will staff the Avon History Room at least two hours a week and/ or by      appointment when necessary  to accommodate the researcher. During the time the History

Room is closed the library staff may use the materials to answer reference questions about Avon history, but they will not be able to monitor the use of the materials in the room. Designated members of the Avon Historical Society shall have access to the collection at any time during regular library hours. The Historical Society is encouraged to hold regular meetings at the Library as long as those meetings do not conflict with regular library activities.

Researchers will abide by standard library rules regarding taking care in use of the material; copyright; permission to publish; photoduplication and rules for citation. The list of contents of the file folders will be checked by the volunteer before and after use.

Selected items may be removed from the room for purposes of duplication or use by a researcher when the room is closed. The librarian on duty will make that decision. No items may be removed from the building; exceptions to that rule (i.e. for special exhibits), must be cleared by the library director and have the approval of the Library Board.

The Library will provide space, additional storage equipment as needed, basic office supplies and use of the photocopier at the going rate. (Individuals requesting research materials via mail will be charged postage costs). The Library will catalog and process materials accepted for the collection in accordance with current library usage and accepted practice and will suggest and direct volunteers in assisting in various processing projects.

Approved by the Avon Free Public Library Board,  October 16, 1990

Approved by the Avon Historical Society September 26, 1990

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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