Goals
The purpose of the Local History Collection is to serve the community through acquisition, classification, preservation and provision of access to a well-organized and balanced collection.
The Local History Collection serves to collect artifacts directly related to the history of the towns/villages/hamlets in the Morrisville Eaton Central School District and its inhabitants, with the concentrations from the time of each town’s settlement through today.
Scope of Collection
The Local History Collection will collect historical materials in a variety of formats including but not limited to: Manuscripts, books and other written and print materials;Photographs, prints, paintings and other visual materials;Tools, clothing, decorative arts and other three-dimensional artifacts of the past.
They must be relevant and consistent with the mission of the Library. Objects that lack complete documentation and/or reproductions of documents may be collected as long as they contribute to a clearer understanding of the histories of the towns/village/hamlets in our school district and convey new, additional information.
Nature of Ownership
Material will be accepted into the collection by deed of gift, bequest, or other forms of documentation by which full and absolute title is transferred to the Morrisville Public Library. We reserve the right to determine retention, location, cataloging treatment, and other considerations relating to the use or disposition of the materials without providing notice to or obtaining the consent of the donor. To the best of our ability, materials accepted into the collection will be housed in appropriate containers and stored in secure, climate-controlled areas if possible.
Morrisville Public Library will not accept items and collections on “deposit” or “loan” or by any other means whereby the Morrisville Public Library does not become the sole owner of the donated items. The Library will not knowingly acquire items that have been stolen or illegally exported.
The Morrisville Public Library cannot accept all donations due to space limitations and conservation requirements, but is always interested in building its current collections. We welcome inquiries if you are interested in contributing objects that you think would enrich our shared heritage.
Guidelines:
Works of art will be examined for durability, taking into consideration the library environment and the condition of the piece. Extremely fragile items or those that are potential targets for vandalism are not appropriate for the library setting.
When determining if a gift may be accepted, the Library Manager will take into consideration any security issues, potential dangers/hazards, the cost of installation, and the cost to maintain the work over its lifetime.
With the direction from the Library Board of Trustees, the Library Manager will provide the donor with an Acknowledgment of Receipt of this policy and Acceptance of its Terms form to be signed. The donor is required to accept the library’s terms and conditions including the following: All gifts must be unconditional, transferring ownership and all right of ownership to the Morrisville Public Library. The donor or his/her lawful agent must complete a Deed a Gift form before the gift can be accepted.Gifts are accepted only with the understanding that the Library Manager has the right to determine retention, location and other considerations relating to the use or disposal of the donated gift.The Library Manager may choose to display the gift or not.The Library Manager may choose to sell the item and use the proceeds for any purpose appropriate to the library’s mission.The Library Manager may transfer ownership of the item as it deems appropriate.
Criteria for Deaccessioning
The Morrisville Public Library will not preserve records or artifacts pertaining to: Communities outside the Morrisville Eaton Central School District.Individuals, families or businesses with no obvious connections or contributions in the Morrisville Eaton Central School District.Mass-produced publications and newspapers that are available state-wide, nation-wide and world-wide.Duplicated items that are represented by a similar item in better physical condition.An item which has physically deteriorated so that it is no longer useful or has failed to retain its identity or authenticity.The item is of lesser historical significance and does not communicate informational values for research or exhibition purposes.The item has doubtful potential utilization in the foreseeable future or pertains to an obscure target audience.The item cannot be properly preserved or cared for by the Morrisville Public Library.
Items shall be de-accessioned by the Library Manager. The item may be disposed of in whatever manner is deemed appropriate and most beneficial to the Library- whether by gifting to another archival or museum repository, destruction, or sale.
Collection Governance
The Library Manager is responsible for ensuring the Local History Collection adheres to the mission statement and the Local History Collection Policy.
The Morrisville Public Library reserves the right to review and make changes to this policy as needed.
Adopted: January 16, 2024
