Annie Gabriel Library
Archive & Special Collection Evaluation
Completed by Elizabeth Flater
Date:
Identify which collection is being evaluated:
P. Boyd Smith Hymnology Collection
Southern Baptist Depository and Archive
Wallace Collection
California Baptist University Queenie
Nie Wieder! Collection
Simmons Archive
Rare Books Collection
1. Does this collection have an Acquisition Plan? If so, rate the plan using the rubric on the last
page of this document (Acquisition Plan row only). Explain your chosen rating.
No. All that exists is a 1998 usage policy titled Rare Book and Special Collection Policies, but
which applies primarily to use of the Hymnology collection. This collection lacks any official
guidelines or parameters, including a formal definition of the term “rare”, and therefore
materials deemed “rare”, valuable, old, or too fragile to circulate but too interesting or
seemingly valuable to withdraw, on any topic, are eligible for acquisition. It is my understanding
that the original collection was formed of books published before 1900 which were pulled from
the stacks and shelved separately as the Rare Books Collection.
2. If this is an active collection (eligible to receive new materials), are new materials being added to
the collection regularly? If not, why?
No, not regularly. Materials are added only if they are deemed rare, valuable, and/or too fragile
to circulate by the Collection Development Librarian. Such materials are not sought out or
purchased, but rather are acquired only if they are donated or encountered in the general
collection by student workers or the Technical Processing Assistant.
3. Evaluate the collection. If possible, compare and contrast the collection to at least one
respected collection of similar materials at another institution. Some questions to consider are:
Comparison libraries:
1. Pepperdine University - Special Collections and University Archives
It has been determined that a title by title holdings comparison is not beneficial to this
evaluation as AGL’s Rare Books collection has no specific theme or subject. However, this
evaluation presents an excellent opportunity to outline and evaluate the Rare Book collection
itself. Below, please find a summary of the contents of AGL’s Rare Book Collection.
a. How many titles does the collection have in relevant call number ranges?
AGL's Rare Books Collection holdings
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
B Religion
0.3%
D European History
0.9%
11.0%
F American history
3.5%
5.0%
0.3%
0.3%
HB Economic theory
JK Public admin - US
M Music
5.0%
0.9%
1.3%
70.4%
E American history
N Fine arts
P Languages
P Literature
Q Science
R Medicine
V Naval science
LC Range
B Religion
D European
History
E American history
F American history
HB Economic
theory
JK Public admin US
M Music
N Fine arts
P Languages
P Literature
Q Science
R Medicine
V Naval science
Z Bibliography
No.
35
11
Percent
11.0%
3.5%
16
3
1
5.0%
0.9%
0.3%
1
0.3%
16
3
4
224
1
1
1
1
5.0%
0.9%
1.3%
70.4%
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
Z Bibliography
b. What are the oldest, most recent, and average publication dates within the collection?
Oldest 1772 | Most recent 1946 | Average 1887
c. Are there any authors/editors of whose work the collection has a significant amount?
AGL Rare Books Collection
Thomas Carlyle – 5
Oliver Wendell Holmes – 4
James Russell Lowell – 4
George Washington Cable – 3
Alphonse Daudet – 3
George Eliot – 3
Gustav Freytag – 3
Harriet Beecher Stowe – 4
William Dean Howells – 15
Rudyard Kipling – 7
James Fenimore Cooper – 6
Hamlin Garland – 5
Thomas Hardy – 6
d. Which formats are represented in the collections (book, journal, DVD, online resource,
etc.)?
Book, music score
e. Are there any publishers that are strongly represented in the collection?
Houghton, Mifflin – 20
Grosset & Dunlap – 5
Harper & Brothers - 27
f.
How similar are the environmental storage conditions of the collections?
AGL Rare Books: books are stored in locked wood and glass cases in the Victorian Room.
Temperature and humidity are within appropriate ranges for an area that hosts both
books and people. Light levels are low.
Pepperdine: collection is stored in a climate controlled room. They use PEM2
dataloggers to monitor the RH and temperature.
g. What are the usage policies of the collections?
AGL Rare Books: items in this collection do not circulate
Pepperdine: usage is open to anyone with a valid ID (students, staff, faculty, community,
and scholars). http://library.pepperdine.edu/special-collections/using/
h. How are new materials identified and acquired for the collections?
AGL Rare Books: additions to the collection are not sought out or purchased. Items from
the general collection deemed worth keeping but too fragile to circulate, or donated
items deemed worthy of acquisition are the only two ways materials are added to Rare
Books. Essentially, there are three (unofficial) qualifications required for inclusion in Rare
Books:
1. Item must have high research and/or historical value
2. Item must be unfit for circulation
3. Item must be published before [1900] or an early edition
Pepperdine: currently working on a collection development policy for the collection,
however, rare book collecting generally aligns with archival collecting, i.e. university
archives, regional history materials (particularly Malibu), and the Restoration
Movement. Don’t have particular authors that they focus on. When they make large
purchases, such as a first edition King James Bible, they usually work with rare books
dealer Ken Karmiole.
i.
How are the collections publicized /advertised?
AGL Rare Books: the collection is not publicized or advertised in any way.
Pepperdine: they publicize via exhibits, open houses, blog posts, classes, articles in
University publications, library newsletters, and other events. Example: they used their
collection of 19th century books on Paris to create a theme - April in Paris - for a
fundraising event.
4. Identify and discuss strengths and weaknesses of the collection. Rate the collection using the
rubric on the last page of this document.
More than anything else, this collection is in need of defining. The inclusion requirements of the
Rare Books collection relate exclusively to age, condition, and research/historical value and do
not discriminate based on subject, authorship, or scope. Currently there is no clearly defined
collection theme or subject and the collection is essentially a grouping of disparate and unrelated
works that have been brought together from the general collection based solely on their age,
condition, and aesthetic characteristics.
The rubric has been left partially blank - it is impossible to rate the collection in the area of
coverage as no such goals or guidelines exist to describe it.
5. Does the collection align with CBU and Annie Gabriel Library’s institutional visions? Rate the
plan using the rubric on the last page of this document (CBU Vision row only). Explain your
chosen rating.
Yes. AGL’s mission statement addresses access to historical information sources and the
preservation of archival materials for future use. Additionally, the historic nature of items in this
collection makes them potentially valuable research resources.
6. Is the collection housed in an environment that meets its security and preservation needs? Rate
the environment using the rubric on the last page of this document (Environment row only).
Explain your chosen rating.
Yes. The collection is housed in locked wood and glass cabinets. Temperature and humidity levels
are within acceptable ranges. Light levels are low. Rebecca Elder, of Amigos Library Services, has
recommended that we move the collection off of wood shelving for preservation reasons.
7. Identify specific acquisition and improvement goals for the collection
A formal collection development policy, statement of parameters, or collection definition is
sorely needed. Such a document would help describe the collection and make collection
development decisions, including accession and de-accession, much easier. The primary
weakness of this collection is its lack of focus; if a collection theme or subject were determined,
management of the collection would be greatly simplified.
8. Additional comments, thoughts, etc.
Archive & Special Collection Evaluation Rubric (highlight selections in bold)
1 (Very Poor)
Goal is stated in vague
terms, no additional
information is provided
2 (Poor)
Basic goal is stated with
minimum specificity
3 (Acceptable)
Goal is stated, some
specificity
4 (Good)
Clear goal is stated,
specificity is adequate but
in need of refinement
Coverage
Many topics un/under
represented
Core topics represented, few
minor topics
Authority
Majority of material has
little to no author
identification or
accountability
Too basic, does not
adequately support
research
Core topics are
represented, but
somewhat lacking
Many unaccredited
works, with some
journalistic/popular
Core topics well
represented, many minor
topics
Mostly
journalistic/popular works
with many scholarly as
well
Mostly scholarly, but still
reliant on some nonacademic resources
Acquisition
Plan (Q1)
Growth
Minimal, new materials
very rarely added
Very slow, materials
added occasionally but
not actively sought out
Materials are a mix of
unaccredited,
journalistic/popular, and
scholarly works
Fairly basic, with some
scholarly resources.
Adequate for research by
non-scholars and
undergraduates
Moderate, a few items
purchased each year to
maintain the collection
Vision (Q5)
Environment
Does not align
Very poor, materials are
at high risk of damage,
deterioration, and/or
theft
Very minimally aligns
Not ideal, majority of
materials require
improved conditions for
long-term storage
Somewhat aligns
Acceptable, materials would
benefit from a more
controlled environment, but
are not in immediate danger
Scope
(Q6)
Too technical/overly
complex
Good, several items
purchased each year with
the aim of improving the
collection
Aligns well
Good, majority of
materials are wellpreserved and safely
housed
5 (Excellent)
Goal is very clearly
defined and supported
with a specific collection
plan/parameters
All relevant topics are
well represented
Materials are primarily
to exclusively scholarly
Scholarly/academic,
appropriate for the
highest level of research
Strong and regular, in
support of a living and
active collection
Strongly aligns
Excellent, all materials
are in their ideal storage
environment and are
appropriately secured