Martha Smalley, Chair
Toby Appel, Medical Library
Jo-Anne Giammattei, Law Library
Tom Hyry, Manuscripts & Archives
Tanja Lorkovic, Slavic & East European Collection
George Miles, Beinecke Rare Book Library
Susanne Roberts, Research Services & Collections
David Walls, Preservation
Background: The Pamphlets Working Group was formed in January,
2001 in response to concerns voiced at CDC meetings regarding the condition
of pamphlets in the open stacks. The Group was charged to gather information
about the extent and nature of pamphlet problem and to make recommendations
for consideration by CDC by fall 2001. Suggested areas of inquiry included:
Evaluation of value (How are researchers likely to use pamphlets; Should
Yale collect everything, or only defined areas; Should Yale weed its pamphlet
collections)
Description (Level of cataloging: item level records vs. archival treatment)
Physical storage and control (Preservation and security issues)
Circulation (Circulating or restricted; Need for restricted circ. reading
area?)
After some initial surveying, the following priorities for the Group were
established:
First, to address the historical problem of poorly housed and poorly described
pamphlets in SML and Mudd stacks
Second, to clarify condition of any uncataloged pamphlet backlogs / possibly
addressing poorly described pamphlets in MSSA Pamphlet Collection - (including
approximately 25,000 pamphlets in SML backlogs)
Third, to recommend policies and procedures for treating incoming pamphlets
so that selectors feel confident that they can acquire pamphlet material
and it will be made accessible.
In order to obtain the additional information about Yale's pamphlets
that we need in order to analyze costs and devise a strategy for solving
the problem, we are requesting that selectors take responsibility for evaluating
the contents of a recommended number of boxes of Old Yale class pamphlets
within their subject areas. 2% of boxes in certain classes will be evaluated,
including B (=19 boxes),N (=69 boxes), and S (=9 boxes.) For all other
classes, at least 3 boxes will be evaluated.
