This document outlines the key components of an effective collection plan for medical heritage collections. It discusses six sections that should be included: 1) the aim, context and scope of the plan; 2) a description of the current collection; 3) an analysis of the collection's profile; 4) an assessment of current users and services; 5) priorities and targets for the future collection policy; and 6) strategies for cooperation with other institutions. The goal is to develop a focused plan through analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, in order to better serve users and preserve important collections for the future.

1. Guidelines for collection policies
Bart De Nil (FARO)
Collection policies for medical heritage. An international comparison
Antwerp | 18.11.2016

2. Collection policies are
derived from a collection
plan, so what’s a
collection plan?

3. insight

4. What a collection plan is not:
- stone tables
- stand alone
- 100 pages with which you can
beat someone to death

6. • 5 Priorities for
future
collection
policy
• 6 Co-operation
Strategy
• 2 Description of
the collection
• 3 Current
profile of the
collection
• 4 Users en
services
Status
• 1 Aim, context,
scope
Aim
Six Easy Pieces

7. (1) Aim, context, scope collection plan
• Context of the plan (internal and external environment analysis)
• Organization Context: existing plans? Eg. policy plan (city, state, organizing body ...)
• Policy context: Cultural Heritage Decree, other decrees (education), local policy
frameworks, local policy frameworks?
• Environment context: social developments and trends
• Objective (s) of the plan
• what do you want to achieve, change, for whom?
• Do your own goals fit in the objective and mission of the bigger organization?
• Scope of the plan
• Which collections (heritage scope), services ...?
• Period (from / to) plan?
• For who is the plan for? (Communication)
-> focus!

8. (2) Description of the collection
• History
• origin and positioning of the collection
• Description parts of the collection
• material types (printed publications, archives, objects, AV-material, ...),
thematic ... (physical/digital/digital-born)
• figures of size/growth of the collection
• physical condition (condition, storage conditions)
• status of the collection registration, digitization, digital access
• Assesing the significance of the collection (appraisal)
• framework for appraisal of ‘heritage’ in development (e.g. Significance
2.0)

9. (3) Description current collection profile
• Collection classification (current profile of the collection)
• what are the ‘centers of gravity’ of the collections (core collections)
• gaps in the collection?
• Critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the collection development
(selection policy)
• adjustment of the selection and acquisition policy?
• disposal of collections?

10. (4) Users and services
• Who are the users?
• user research
• What is the use of the (digital) collections?
• Evolution (number) consultations, loans ...
• How is the service? (evaluation)
• Valorisation of the (digital) collection
• education, information, research, education, leisure, health and
wellbeing, ...
• exhibitions, publications, social projects, outreach, ...

11. (5) Priorities collection policy
Formulate on the basis of steps 1, 2, 3 and 4:
• Priorities and targets for the future collection policy
• where we want to be x years and why? What has to change, etc.
• The actions to achieve these targets
• Acquisition Policy (criteria (de-)selection, forms of acquisition ...)
• Registration and digitization
• Preservation, preventive conservation
• Sustainable access (e.g. digital reading)
• Development of the services
• Valorisation
• Assessing the resources for these actions
• personnel/finance/infrastructure

12. (6) Cooperation around collection policy
• Positioning and cooperation
• (International) networks, consultation platforms (ICOM, IFLA, …)
• (Cultural) partners (local, regional, international ...)
• With whom to cooperate? For what actions? How?
• Collection policy coordination with other holders of medical collections
• Agreements on acquisition, selection and collection policy
• Agreements on custody
• Agreements on digitization, (born) digital collections

13. The process towards a
collection plan is even
more important than the
plan in itself.

16. bart.denil@faro.be
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