Re: [ARSCLIST] Cataloging: Libraries and private collectors

[Matt Snyder <msnyder@xxxxxxxx>]

 Karl Miller <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>It would seem to me that the needs of archives could differ from the
needs
>of "libraries." I put libraries in quotes because, even if
>the functionalism and organization of the two differ, I am not sure I
have
>a good understanding of the function of a library these days as they seem
>to be more and more about digital information delivery and that archives
>are for things.

In very general terms, a library stocks items which are not unique, that
is, "published" items which, while they may be costly, are not impossible
to replace, assuming they are still being produced.  An archive holds
unique, irreplaceable historical artifacts and tries to make intellectual
sense out of them. There is the potential for some overlap (witness my
employer), but these are fairly well-defined entities. Either a library or
an archive can potentially make their holdings available digitally, and
that is certainly a sexy issue in the library/archive world these days,
but that doesn't affect their core functions, in my view. And yes, their
needs often differ considerably; certainly their methods of describing
their holdings are very different (catalog versus finding aid). But both
strive to meet the information needs of people in any way possible, so in
that way they have much more in common than not.

Matt Snyder
Music Archivist
Wilson Processing Project
The New York Public Library