Special Collections ten years from now Richard Ovenden Keeper of Special Collections & Associate Director Bodleian Library, University of Oxford

OR MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?

How do you make God laugh? Tell Him your future plans Source: Woody Allen

Summary Beyond EEBO The Barbara Castle effect The burden of the past The rebirth of evidence The proliferation of publics The G-Spot My favourite subject Conclusions

Beyond EEBO

The Barbara Castle effect

The burden of the past

The rebirth of evidence

The proliferation of publics

The G-Spot

My favourite subject

Conclusions

Introduction Institutional prioirities are changing What is it that makes an institution unique in a digital age? When almost any institution of any size can subscribe to the same set of e-resources, what is it that distinguishes them from one another? Emory: New five-year strategy has three goals: ‘Digital Innovations’, ‘Special Collections’, and ‘Customer-centered Library’.

Institutional prioirities are changing

What is it that makes an institution unique in a digital age?

When almost any institution of any size can subscribe to the same set of e-resources, what is it that distinguishes them from one another?

Emory: New five-year strategy has three goals: ‘Digital Innovations’, ‘Special Collections’, and ‘Customer-centered Library’.

EMORY FIVE YEAR STRATEGY ‘ Renowned special collections and world-class facilities differentiate Emory from peer institutions and establish Emory as one of the top five destinations in the country for research and teaching …’ Target for fundraising: $100m

‘ Renowned special collections and world-class facilities differentiate Emory from peer institutions and establish Emory as one of the top five destinations in the country for research and teaching …’

Target for fundraising: $100m

Beyond EEBO: Acquisitions Rare Books: The EEBO Effect Will collecting policies change? Will values change? Manuscripts: Uniqueness Archives: Critical Mass Collaboration vs. Competition Beyond ‘building on strength’ Supporting new areas

Rare Books: The EEBO Effect

Will collecting policies change?

Will values change?

Manuscripts: Uniqueness

Archives: Critical Mass

Collaboration vs. Competition

Beyond ‘building on strength’

Supporting new areas

The Barbara Castle Effect: Digital Special Collections Concept of e-MSS ERM and connection to institutional archiving policy Interconnections with other developments in IRs Creating a digital special collections place: BodADaM Putting a price on the digital (Zadie Smith, Clutag Press)

Concept of e-MSS

ERM and connection to institutional archiving policy

Interconnections with other developments in IRs

Creating a digital special collections place: BodADaM

Putting a price on the digital (Zadie Smith, Clutag Press)

The Burden of the Past: Collection Management What is space used for? Move to off-site storage Re-use space for public programmes; pedagogy; research Hidden collections Mellon / CLIR initiative Pressure on conservation Is it sexy enough? Challenge of standards Costs Shifting the backlog left to us by previous generations Deferred maintenance

What is space used for?

Move to off-site storage

Re-use space for public programmes; pedagogy; research

Hidden collections

Mellon / CLIR initiative

Pressure on conservation

Is it sexy enough?

Challenge of standards

Costs

Shifting the backlog left to us by previous generations

Deferred maintenance

The rebirth of evidence: Research trends and the support of research Move from Theory back to evidence Resurgence of editing Interest in text encoding as well as textual transmission Research training Skills, collaboration, opportunities Undergraduate movements The rise of the dissertation Competition What attracts graduate students? What is a research output? REF changes will be significant Danger of over-reliance on networked resources: Wikipedia

Move from Theory back to evidence

Resurgence of editing

Interest in text encoding as well as textual transmission

Research training

Skills, collaboration, opportunities

Undergraduate movements

The rise of the dissertation

Competition

What attracts graduate students?

What is a research output?

REF changes will be significant

Danger of over-reliance on networked resources:

Wikipedia

The proliferation of publics: Cultural strategy Museumification: books as ‘artifacts’ Morgan Library and Museum Widening participation, widening access Political agendas Recognise priorities of funders Special Collections as cultural repositories Marketing strategies / skills gap? Education officers / Outreach Officers Using the network to reach out BODCasts & Web Exhibits Social networking Wikipedia

Museumification: books as ‘artifacts’

Morgan Library and Museum

Widening participation, widening access

Political agendas

Recognise priorities of funders

Special Collections as cultural repositories

Marketing strategies / skills gap?

Education officers / Outreach Officers

Using the network to reach out

BODCasts & Web Exhibits

Social networking

Wikipedia

The G-Spot: Digitization Mass digitization & Google/Microsoft The EEBO Effect What is evidence? Emphasis away from originals? Generational shift and impact on teaching Two-tier system?

Mass digitization & Google/Microsoft

The EEBO Effect

What is evidence?

Emphasis away from originals?

Generational shift and impact on teaching

Two-tier system?

My favourite subject: Funding Mixed economy Bodleian Special Collections Staffing: 40% external (2002: 20%) Acquisitions: 95% external (2002: 40%) Fundraising Professionalisation (Bodleian = 4 fte) Competition Grant giving bodies: whatever happened to cataloguing? NFF/RSLP/? Sustainable funding Endowments US / UK comparison

Mixed economy

Bodleian Special Collections

Staffing: 40% external (2002: 20%)

Acquisitions: 95% external (2002: 40%)

Fundraising

Professionalisation (Bodleian = 4 fte)

Competition

Grant giving bodies: whatever happened to cataloguing?

NFF/RSLP/?

Sustainable funding

Endowments

US / UK comparison

JISC Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art Marc Fitch Fund Andrew W Mellon Foundation Heritage Lottery Fund V&A Purchase Grant Fund PRISM Fund Friends of the Bodleian Friends of the National Libraries The Art Fund John R Murray Charitable Trust Bernard H Breslauer Foundation Strachey Trust Samuel H Kress Foundation Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation Wireless Preservation Trust Fritz Thyssen Stiftung PRIVATE DONORS

Conclusions: SWOT analysis Strengths Staff attitudes Collections Return to evidence Weaknesses Backlogs Reliance on project funding Competition Opportunities Collaboration Fundraising Public interest Threats Funding Politics The end of Humanities?

Strengths

Staff attitudes

Collections

Return to evidence

Weaknesses

Backlogs

Reliance on project funding

Competition

Opportunities

Collaboration

Fundraising

Public interest

Threats

Funding

Politics

The end of Humanities?

CONCLUSIONS : In 10 years time … We will need to be even more entrepreneurial Fundraising Marketing We will need to focus on what is unique: collections, services, training, atmosphere We will need to convince the scientists that Special Collections are for them, and make Joe Public see themselves as stakeholders. In doing this we must avoid alienating our core customers … We need to recognise that the special collections of the future will be digital as well as physical.

We will need to be even more entrepreneurial

Fundraising

Marketing

We will need to focus on what is unique: collections, services, training, atmosphere

We will need to convince the scientists that Special Collections are for them, and make Joe Public see themselves as stakeholders.

In doing this we must avoid alienating our core customers …

We need to recognise that the special collections of the future will be digital as well as physical.

FIN [email_address]

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