Collection Development Policy

Introduction

Archives and Special Collections collects, maintains, and makes available the non-current, permanently valuable records of Montana State University along with unique print and manuscript resources pertaining to designated collecting areas. The goal for this segment of the MSU Library's collections is to continue to build upon unique strengths, to develop new appropriate subject strengths, and to provide Montana and regional resources that satisfy the instructional and research needs of the MSU community. The collecting levels expressed in this policy indicate the aspirations for the collections. Budgets, space, personnel, and other considerations may limit the attainment of these collection goals.

The following policy generally focuses on archives and manuscripts, with some elements of Special Collections books. For the collecting policy for the Trout and Salmonid book collection, see the Trout and Salmonid section.

General Considerations

Responsible Stewardship

Responsible stewardship calls for us to collect within our scope and capabilities, to care for collections, and to fulfill our promises to donors of collections and other resources. We reserve the right to refuse a proposed collection that falls outside the library’s collecting scope, exceeds our financial and material resources to care for it, or has too high a maintenance cost in proportion to probable research benefits.

Time Period

We focus on documentation from the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Pre-1950 records may be collected selectively.

Diversity

We strive to represent the experiences of diverse genders, ages, and ethnicities, along with other elements of diversity, and to overcome the imbalance and under-documentation that has been characteristic of our and others’ collecting.

Indigenous Records

We do not collect records of indigenous experience but prefer to work with Montana’s seven tribal entities to enable appropriate tribal stewardship.

What Collections Document

Our collections should document the person or organization that created them, but also provide source materials for other creators. Our interests are in original materials collected while doing creative or scholarly work. Whenever possible, we prioritize materials with copyright transfer, public domain designation, or Creative Commons licensing to enable creative re-use by researchers.

Other Repositories

At times, donors wish to split collections between institutions. While we may agree to this in some circumstances, we believe that collections are generally best kept whole to provide context to the items in them.

We take a non-competitive stance on collecting. If another organization is already in conversation with a donor, we do not interfere with those conversations.

Collections (or portions of collections) that are copies from other repositories or from published materials are not accepted. Materials that have substantial annotations or other transformative work may be the exception.

Born Digital

We will collect born-digital materials according to our capacity and will also accept textual materials, still images, audio recordings, and moving images digitized by others that meet minimum criteria for capture quality. We collect textual materials in Portable Document Format (PDF), email as plain-text, and audio, still images and moving images, but are unable to steward complex digital objects (e.g. interactive games) or those that rely on proprietary software or hardware. Our digital preservation policy is here.

The MSU Library facilitates research data archiving through partnerships with external data repositories. Research data are not generally collected or preserved locally by the MSU Library. However, Archives and Special Collections may make exceptions for historically relevant research data that aligns with its collecting policy. These decisions are made in collaboration with thedata publication and discovery program.

We capture websites routinely to complement university records and the collections of individuals or organizations and make them available through our partnership with Archive-IT. (See below for the specific website collecting policy.) We have limited capabilities to steward digital collections without full public access. Born-digital materials, and most reformatted analog materials, are stored in a web server infrastructure to ensure durable access and preservation.

Art and Three-Dimensional Objects

We collect art and three-dimensional objects or artifacts that are part of archival collections very selectively as we have limited capabilities to care for these materials. We work with appropriate partners on campus, including the Museum of the Rockies and the Helen E. Copeland Gallery in the School of Art, to assess and steward these materials.

Audiovisual Materials

Still and moving images must be identified (individually or in aggregate) to be accepted. Oral histories must have signed MSU Library release forms, edited recordings, full transcripts, and abstracts to be accepted.

Digital Collections

Digital collections provide for the storage and dissemination of digital objects, including text, images, audio, and video in their various digital manifestations and combinations. Digital collections are of two general types: Those created and developed by the library and those created and developed through partnerships.

The library creates digital collections by digitizing analog materials and by ingesting and working with born-digital content. For both types, the library selects collections (or portions of collections) according to organizational priorities, feasibility of digitization, and potential for impact. For born-digital content, the library makes that content available just as it does analog content.

We partner with MSU faculty and students (and, at times, faculty and students from other educational or other institutions) to create and/or collect content to both support the university’s instruction mission and to develop collections beyond what the library staff and faculty have the capacity to do. The MSU Library will set parameters for quality and processes to ensure that collecting is conducted according to current best practices. Content that does not meet parameters may be refused.

Digital collections have a web presence and are available on the internet and accessible via search engines. The library follows current best practices for digitization, metadata creation or enhancement, and technical infrastructure for availability and preservation. Digital collections developed and maintained by the MSU Library follow the library’s accessibility policies and standards https://www.lib.montana.edu/accessibility/.

Donating Collections

Collections are generally acquired by donation. Our Deed of Gift specifies that collections are a bona fide gift, that the donor is the owner of the collection and/or has legal rights to give it, and that the donor has not received either funds or any other special consideration in exchange for a collection. Donors who wish to qualify for a tax deduction must acquire and pay for a professional appraisal. We will provide a list of qualified appraisers on request but cannot play any other role in assessing the financial value of a collection.

Copyright

Whenever possible, materials will be in the public domain, have Creative Commons licenses assigned by the copyright owner on receipt, or have written approval to distribute from the copyright owner. Public-facing digital collections generally consist of lower-resolution use copies for ease of access.

Subject Areas of Focus

To be accepted or developed, collections should fit one, and preferably two or more, areas of the following subject foci.

Agriculture

As a land grant university and the only institution in the state focusing extensively on agriculture education and accredited by the Society for Range Management (SRM), MSU plays an essential role in supporting agriculture in Montana. This includes its Extension programs, research enterprise, agriculture curriculum, experiment stations and farms, and research conducted by persons and organizations with a relationship with--but not necessarily formally connected with--the university.

Our topical areas of focus are:

Extension and its statewide mission;

The Wool Lab and its statewide role in support of sheep (and other fiber) ranching;

Barley research and statewide support of the barley industry;

Beef research and statewide support of the beef industry;

Regenerative and sustainable agriculture and land management;

The local agriculture movement, including small-scale vegetable, fruit, grain, and meat enterprises, and including value-added products and the role of Anabaptists in this economy.

We aim to collect all Extension publications comprehensively regardless of their format. Reports and other publications from the agricultural research stations and research farms should also be collected comprehensively, along with records of past and present agriculture-related facilities.

Architecture and Engineering

MSU is the only NAAB (National Architectural Accrediting Board)-accredited school in Montana and the state's major engineering school for numerous sub-specialties including biological, chemical, construction, industrial and management systems, and mechanical engineering. As such, MSU plays an important role in the state supporting these fields and the development of professionals in them.

We play a statewide role in collecting architectural drawings, according to a circa 1975 agreement with the Montana chapter of the American Institute of Architects and will continue that role with parameters consistent with our capacity for responsible stewardship. Other collecting institutions, particularly the Montana Historical Society and city and county entities, also play important roles, and we cooperate accordingly.

Our collections frequently support historic preservation and restoration projects, and we will accept documentation of those projects.

While we generally collect architectural drawings created after 1950, we will strongly consider pre-1950 drawings of buildings that are no longer standing. We use the National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places criteria for significance of structures.

Planning and growth in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem after 1990 is our area of greatest focus.

We have a strong interest in documenting the curricula of our architecture and engineering schools and how students were and are being trained.

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Collections about Yellowstone National Park (YNP), especially its early history, were some of the cornerstones of the MSU Library's earliest collecting efforts. The donation of the Haynes family business records in 1977 meant that for the next twenty years, we built collections around YNP. The construction of YNP's Heritage and Research Center and its designation as a National Archives and Records Administration branch, along with greater awareness of the numerous repositories that focus on Park-related collections specifically has allowed us to re-focus our collections on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE).

Since about 2010, we have shifted our focus from YNP to the GYE and collected records of conservation-oriented organizations and individuals (Greater Yellowstone Coalition, American Wildlands, Mike Clark, Rick Reese, Joe Gutkoski) and others with great influence and impact (Frank Craighead).

Growth and development in the GYE has accelerated rapidly since about 1990, with numerous conversations and conflicts about the environmental, economic, and cultural impacts of that growth and development. We seek to document these conversations and events from a diverse set of organizations and individuals.

We collect materials that document gateway communities that support travel and tourism in the GYE.

As appropriate, we document contemporary work recognizing the long-term indigenous presence in the GYE.

The collections of MSU-affiliated faculty and staff whose research focuses on the GYE is of strong interest.

Montana State College/Montana State University

Aside from records of the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education that are part of the records of state government, the MSU Library plays a unique role in documenting the past, present and future of Montana State University and its predecessor institutions. We also have no MSU-designated role for institution-wide records management or comprehensive retention of permanently valuable records. Other offices on campus--including but not limited to the Office of the President (and its legal counsel), Facilities, Athletics, Communications, Human Resources, Office of Planning and Analysis, Registrar, MontanaPBS, and Research and Economic Development--retain and manage their own records. The MSU Library lacks capacity to take on a comprehensive role for the campus but collaborates with these and other entities when needed.

The MSU Library focuses on documenting selected administrative functions, student life, Extension and other statewide roles, curriculum and instruction, and faculty governance. We collect:

Faculty papers that fit with one or more of our subject focus areas and that document original research and creative activities that can be source material for others;

The publications of faculty (tenure-track, adjunct, and research), staff, and students comprehensively;

Publications of the university in all forms--analog and digital—including those of Extension and other reflections of MSU’s statewide role.

Theses, dissertations, professional papers, and MSU-affiliated publications are part of the collecting scope for ScholarWorks and are made accessible there. Paper copies of these works created before electronic publishing are maintained in the ASC collections.

Policy and Government

Policy and government play key roles in our other collecting areas, particularly the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Architecture and Engineering, Montana State University, and Trout and Salmonid.

Our current focus is on documenting the people, organizations, policies, and influences around growth in Montana and the surrounding region, particularly from 1990 to the present. While it is not our role to collect federal, state, county, or city records, we are keenly interested in the records of individuals, organizations, and businesses that document the conversations, conflict, and decisions around growth and development. With rare exceptions, we are not continuing to collect the papers of US senators and representatives.

Regional Writers

Montana and the surrounding region are well known for writers who created and create a variety of genres and forms of writing that reflect the landscapes, lifeways, viewpoints, and struggles unique to the place.

With the acquisition of the Ivan Doig papers and a number of contemporary writers specific to the Trout and Salmond collection (Tom McGuane, Paul Schullery, and others), the MSU Library's focus on regional writers is a major and sustained one.

We seek the papers of regional writers whose works have a substantial overlap with one or more of our other topical collecting areas; an affiliation with MSU is also an important factor. Mere residence in the state is insufficient to be considered for inclusion in the collection; a sustained relationship with the state by topic or residence is generally required.

Diversity of forms--including fiction, nonfiction, magazines, short stories, full-length books, screenplays, and poetry--is another consideration.

Documentation of the creative process, relationships with writers and others, research and writing processes, and some aspects of the process of bringing materials to publication are all of interest.

Trout and Salmonids

Trout and salmonid are iconic to Montana and to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. MSU's historic fisheries science program and proximity to hundreds of miles of blue-ribbon fisheries, is often referred to as "Trout U." In 2000, the MSU Library began The Bud Lilly Trout and Salmonid Collection to preserve literary (fiction and non-fiction), scientific, government, and media resources related to all aspects of trout and other salmonids. The aim is to have the world’s most comprehensive collection of trout and salmonid manuscripts, books, and grey literature.

This topical area encompasses both manuscripts and books, but the following description is for the archives and manuscripts only. The full statement of collecting scope for the Trout and Salmonid books is “The MSU Trout and Salmonids Collection is part of an overall effort to create the world’s largest and most comprehensive research center for all information related to the study of these valuable and sought after species.”

We have strong interests in direct records of anglers' experiences, citizen science or public intellectual activities, scientific research, writing about trout and salmonids, activism and conservation activities, documentation of places and fishing techniques, imaginative works, and correspondence or other conversations. While our collections are currently strongest in the western United States, our interest in this topic is worldwide.

Web Archives

The purpose of web archiving initiative at Montana State University (MSU) Library is to capture, preserve, and provide access to websites documenting the history and culture of MSU and other entities related to the Library’s collecting areas. The Library aims to collect and preserve selected web content at a particular point in time (snapshots) or over a period (e.g., daily, monthly, quarterly, etc.). MSU Library's web archive collections are hosted and stored at the Internet Archive data centers.

MSU Library’s web archiving program especially focuses on

Documenting the administrative functions of MSU;

Documenting the research enterprise of MSU, particularly the unique centers and institutes;

Documenting activities of the MSU community;

MSU Library also captures some websites as a complement to or component of manuscript collections held in MSU Archives and Special Collections.

The MSU ASC web archive scope includes websites relating to:

MSU history, culture, and operations

MSU student life

Extraordinary events at MSU and in Montana

Those created by or for individuals or organizations that are the creators or collectors of manuscript collections and that complement the main collection

For content identified outside the MSU domain (montana.edu), the library will contact the content creators to provide an opportunity for them to opt out of inclusion in the MSU Library web archives.

Local History Collections

A number of different organizations (and their predecessors) in Gallatin County have collected local history in various forms for 100+ years. With the need for each organization to focus its collecting efforts, it is useful to have a shared understanding and open communication for the benefit of donors, researchers, and to make the best possible use of always-limited resources.

The repositories most important in local collecting considerations are the Bozeman-area ones: Museum of the Rockies, Gallatin History Museum, and Bozeman Public Library. The Extreme History Project does not collect but does play a role in brokering collections and is an important user audience. However, other organizations in surrounding municipalities and counties should be involved in communications on a case-by-case basis.

Topical, Genre, and Missions

Each collecting repository has its own set of existing strengths and areas of both desired development and where past collecting activities do not drive current activities. These may be very situational and nuanced. Thus, the following is not exhaustive but may provide some useful guidelines for local collecting:

The MSU Library’s Archives and Special Collections (whose topical strengths are listed elsewhere in this document) has the capabilities to collect both analog and born-digital materials and to make them available through local, national, and international networks and secure, temperature-controlled storage with an appropriate fire suppression system. Although it has an active instruction program for MSU students and a system of public outreach, it does not have large permanent displays. It selectively accepts three-dimensional objects that relate directly to archival or manuscript collections.

The Museum of the Rockies (MOR) has a core history collection that dates primarily from the 19th and 20th centuries and reflects the regional culture of the Northern Rockies. American Indian costume and decorative handwork, primarily beaded objects, are a strong aspect of the collection. The collection includes photographic tools and equipment and contains some of the most important photographic work from the region. The archeology collection consists primarily of artifacts collected in Montana. MOR’s textiles collection consists of historic costumes and household textiles, including a collection of more than 100 quilts. MOR has a strong and growing collection of objects related to Bozeman, Montana, Montana State University, and Yellowstone National Park.

The Gallatin History Museum/Gallatin Historical Society collects objects, photographs, and other archival material related to the history of Gallatin County and southwest Montana. The museum accepts limited collections related to Yellowstone Park and surrounding counties, especially if items directly relate to aspects of Gallatin County history. Collection strengths include clothing and other 3D artifacts that belonged to local families, local business items, Gallatin County and law enforcement-related documents and records, Courier newspaper collection, hundreds of family histories and genealogies, and a 20,000+ photo collection. The museum displays permanent and changing exhibits, publishes a local history magazine, hosts public programming, and manages an active research library.

The Bozeman Public Library does not have special collections per se but maintains the Montana Room, which holds published and unpublished materials, photographs, photographic negatives, maps, periodicals, pamphlets, ephemera, newspapers, newspaper clippings, videos, DVDs, and microfilm. It is a permanent repository of non-circulating materials consisting primarily of works concerned with Bozeman, Gallatin County, and Montana which is intended to provide an ever-available source of information on the city, county, and state. This collection also includes newspapers and magazines relevant to Bozeman, Gallatin County, and Montana cultural and historical interests. The focus is materials that are relevant to the community within the last five to ten years, are not available freely to the public, or are useful for contemporary local research.

The MSU Library, Museum of the Rockies, Gallatin History Museum, and Bozeman Public Library will communicate regularly on their collecting activities. Should there be any question on the most appropriate home(s) for a prospective or existing collection, the involved organizations will communicate and will avoid the appearance or reality of competition. Collections may be split between different organizations when that is necessary, but we all recognize that this is not optimal.

Books in Archival Collections

Many books arrive in Archives and Special Collections as part of a manuscript collection. To determine the destination for these books, we use the following criteria:

According to the general collection development policy, the MSU Library does not accept gifts of books, with rare exceptions.

Commodity books (e.g. that can be purchased easily and for a reasonable price) and do not fit with the Archives and Special Collections collection development policy, but that fit the MSU Library’s collection priorities, will be added to the general/circulating collection or put on the give-away shelves.

Autographs do not qualify a book for special collections.

Books that are commodity items and that also fit with the Archives and Special Collections collection development policy may be:

Added to general Special Collections with a note as to their origin;

Added to the Trout & Salmonid collection with a note as to their origin;

Either of these options may be acceptable if the volumes contain significant documentation of their author or collector (e.g. annotations, marginalia)

In rare cases where books have artifactual value, they may be retained in the archival collection.

When a literary creator offers books, we prefer to capture the information embodied through a list of volumes, photographs, or other record of the creator’s reading and/or research habits. Exceptions must be extremely rare.

Archives and Special Collections may refuse book donations if the materials are numerous or have significant preservation concerns (e.g. active mold, water damage, heavily soiled).

Federal and State Records

As is the case for most western states, federal government agencies have a profound influence on the culture, decision making, land management, and employment of many individuals engaged in policy, scientific, and cultural work. It is common for the MSU Library—and all collecting repositories in Montana--to be offered papers or records from current and former federal employees who are unaware that, in general, what they produce in the course of their employment is not their personal property but are federal records. Those records may be scheduled for permanent retention for the U.S. National Archives branches in Seattle or Denver, or for Yellowstone National Park’s Heritage Center, to retain. In the case of the Heritage Center, it is particularly important to communicate since we aim to document the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem but are also committed to not compete or operate counter to federal law.

Our Practices

Should we be offered, or become aware of the opportunity to pursue, papers or records from any federal agency or current or past federal employee, we will contact the appropriate branch of the National Archives to ask if the records are scheduled for permanent retention. If they are permanent records, we will facilitate their transfer to the National Archives.

If permanent federal records fit the collection development policy and are highly desired for local research needs, we will seek to digitize them with the appropriate agency and National Archives permissions and make them available digitally through the library’s systems.

In the case of the YNP Heritage and Research Center, we will maintain close and clear communication about collecting activities and will make our collecting distinct as follows:

Anything that the Heritage Center determines to be a permanent record must go to their collections. These could include (but are not limited to) employee records, research files, documentation, and other records that are clearly part of the federal records schedules.

Yellowstone Park Company records are unambiguously federal records and will be treated as such.

Federal records that are non-permanent and fit the collecting priorities and focus of MSU Library may, like other federal records, be retained

Park-related but non-federal collections (e.g. personal papers, travel diaries, or contemporary collections initiated and maintained by the library) should be discussed between MSU Library and the Heritage Center if a donor offers or an opportunity presents itself. Park-related items included in a larger collection (e.g. family or personal papers) that is not otherwise Yellowstone-related can be acquired without discussion, but communication is always preferred.

Communication with Other Major Montana Repositories

Since 2001, MSU Library has committed to communicating and coordinating with its peer repositories in Montana—the Montana Historical Society and the University of Montana’s Mansfield Library—to ensure non-competition on collections.

The most current version of the Memorandum of Understanding was completed in 2023.

Decision Making Process

Donation or Purchase Conversations

Any faculty member in ASC or the Dean of the Library may make contacts with potential donors. Input and contacts from classified staff are valued.

The Foundation and Office of the President often make contacts with potential donors and are asked to contact the Dean of the Library and ASC Department Head as soon as possible when a collection or collecting initiative is possible.

Depending on the type of collection being pursued, the library’s Collection Development Librarian may be involved in discussions.

The ASC Department Head is always kept informed that a conversation is being pursued. Individuals are encouraged to provide regular updates to the entire department. The ASC Department, in turn, will keep the Dean of the Library informed about potential donations and donor conversations.

As soon as any collection is under discussion, the person engaging in that conversation will communicate with the ASC Department Head. The Head, in turn, will ensure that the Cross-Functional Group is aware that a collection is under discussion.

All persons discussing a collection with a potential donor or seller will create a folder in the Collection Development file and a document for notes on telephone and in-person conversations or take notes by hand and photograph or scan those notes. Emails should be exported as PDFs or another widely accessible format and added to this file. Other records of the collection—photographs, videos, etc.--should also be added to this file. Documentation must be thorough and complete to provide a clear record of contacts, discussions, and any promises made or discussed.

In the case of any donor promises being made (e.g. a particular timeline for a collection being available), the Cross-Functional Group (CFG) will determine organizational capacity prior to any agreements being signed.

In the case of any questions of a collection’s fit with the collection development statement, or when there are any other concerns, the individual should bring questions to other faculty in ASC and (if relevant) to other departments in the library. In general:

Decisions about Special Collections books are made by the Special Collections Librarian and Archivist.

Decisions about Trout and Salmonid books are made by the Trout and Salmonid Librarian.

Decisions about all other manuscript collections, university records, and university publications are made by the Senior Archivist.

Before a collection is accepted or set up for purchase, the faculty member pursuing the collection and the ASC Department Head should agree with that action. In the case of the ASC Department Head, either another ASC faculty member or the Dean of the Library should agree.

All members of the ASC department will receive regular updates on upcoming or completed acquisitions.

Deeds of Gift and Other Documentation

All Deeds of Gift are negotiated and administered by the ASC Department Head. If the ASC Department Head is not available to sign the agreement, but all other aspects have already been negotiated, the Dean of the Library may sign in their absence.

All agreements and supporting documentation are collected in the Collection Development folder. Once the collection is received, the documentation in the Collection Development files moves to the Accession File associated with the collection, which may also exist as a paper file in the ASC administrative records.

Together, this documentation (analog and digital) forms the permanent administrative record of the donor relationship and the collection. Thorough and complete documentation development is the essence of a successful long-term relationship and responsible stewardship.

Revision of policy completed 2023-2024 and approved June 2024.