[PADG:1813] ARL TASK FORCE INVITES INPUT ON THE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AGENDA

["Barbara B. Eden" <beb1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Task Force on Special 
Collections invites input as it moves forward with its ambitious agenda.

ARL is a membership organization of 124 of North America?s leading 
research libraries. The Task Force on Special Collections, appointed

this year, is charged with developing an ARL action plan to:
1. Enhance access to collections and backlogs, surface "hidden 

collections." Advocate for and administer funding for projects, and

collaborate with RBMS to develop and endorse guidelines for what 
constitutes adequate access. 
2. Coordinate planning for collecting 19th and 20th century materials

and those in new formats. 
3. Coordinate information sharing regarding digitization efforts. 
4. Define core competencies among special collection librarians and 

create training opportunities. 
5. Promote special collections as fundamental to the mission of the 

research library. 
6. Gather data on special collections operations. 
7. Incorporate some of these issues into agendas of RBMS, SAA, and other

ARL standing committees (especially the Access Committee but also 
possibly Preservation, Scholarly Communication, Statistics & 
Measurement, Copyright, and Diversity).
The Task Force is chaired by Joe Hewitt (University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill) and consists of both directors and special collections 

librarians from ARL libraries. It will submit recommendations to ARL in

spring 2003.
Among the many proposals currently being developed by the Task Force are

the following:
* Principles Statement on Special Collections ­ The Task Force is 
drafting a non-prescriptive statement that reaffirms the commitment of

ARL member libraries to special collections and outlines the basic 
responsibilities of those libraries to develop, preserve, support, 
disseminate, and otherwise steward primary resources.
* White Paper and Conference on Access Issues ­ The Task Force envisions

a high-level invitational conference to consider innovative approaches

to eliminating arrearages and providing timely access to newly acquired

materials. A background paper is being drafted that will outline the

scope of the problem and propose meaningful approaches.
* Statement on Training and Recruitment ­ In response to concern about

developing the next generation of special collections librarians, a 

proposal for an internship or residency program, perhaps in conjunction

with ?immersion courses,? is being developed based on models that have

proven successful in other areas of librarianship, including recruitment

of individuals with advanced subject degrees.
* Conference on 19th- and 20th-Century Materials ­ To address the task

of systematically collecting the voluminous record from the 19th century

onward, the Task Force envisions a high-level invitational conference of

librarians and scholars who could examine and define the issue in 
greater depth, eventually identifying specific areas for action.
* Collection of Special Collections Data ­ Building on the interest in

and success of a 1998 survey of special collections in ARL libraries, a

proposal for ongoing quantitative and qualitative data collection is

being developed.
As the Task Force proceeds with its work, opinions from the library and

scholarly community and the efforts of volunteers are welcome. Input

and/or expressions of interest in participation may be directed to any

of the three people listed below as Task Force contacts. For more 
information about ARL?s special collections activities, including the

Task Force charge, membership roster, and minutes of meetings, see 
<http://www.arl.org/collect/spcoll/index.html>.

Thank you, 
Judith Panitch 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
For additional information, contact:
Task Force Chair: Joe Hewitt, University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill <Joe_Hewitt@xxxxxxx> 
Task Force Liaisons: Barbara Jones, University of Illinois at 
Urbana-Champaign <jones5@xxxxxxxx> and 
Alice Schreyer, University of Chicago <schreyer@xxxxxxxxxxxx> 

___________________________________________________ 
Judith Matz 
Communications Officer 
Association of Research Libraries 
21 Dupont Circle, NW #800 
Washington, DC 20036-1118 
Phone 202-296-2296 
Fax 202-872-0884 
judith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx