A collections management policy will help you make decisions about your community archive and means everyone involved is working towards the same goals. It will also act as a tool to help continue the work of the archive in the long term.
Create a collections management policy document with the following sections:
Before starting, decide who will draw up the document, and work together with your group (if you have one) to agree what you’ll include.
You’re unlikely to cover everything on your first attempt. Date each version of the document as you update it so you know which is the latest.
The collections management policy document should be published on your website (if you have one) so users can read it.
A mission statement answers the question ‘what do we do - what is our purpose?’ It has the types of items collected and what is done with them.
Keep your mission statement short and to the point with one or two simple sentences.
For example, the Norfolk Record Office mission statement reads: 'We collect and preserve unique archives relating to the history of Norfolk and make them accessible across the world.'
Your mission statement could include a sentence which answers the question ‘why do we do this?’, but it’s not always necessary.
Your mission statement can be added to the ‘about us’ section of your community archive website, if you have one.
A collecting statement sets out what is collected by the archive. It allows you to focus your time and resources on the items that are most important and relevant. It also helps you say ‘no’ to items which fall outside of its scope.
A collecting statement includes:
An access statement sets out where and how your archive items can be used and by who.
An access statement includes:
A preservation statement sets out how you will look after the archive’s collection items.
A preservation statement includes: