The Maurice Sendak
Collection The Rosenbach Museum
and Library
INFO665 – Collection Development
Catherine Collins
I certify that:
This paper/project/exam is entirely my own work.
I have not quoted the words of any other person from a
printed source, online source, or a website without
indicating what has been quoted and providing an
appropriate citation.
I have not submitted this paper / project to satisfy the
requirements of any other course.
Signature ___Conni Strittmatter____
Date_____4/6/2011_____
Table of Contents
I.
Overview ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-4
II.
User Community to be Served --------------------------------------------- 4-6
III.
Subject Areas to be Collected ---------------------------------------------- 6-7
IV.
Formats to be Collected ----------------------------------------------------- 7
V.
Programming ------------------------------------------------------------------ 7-9
VI.
Selection Process ------------------------------------------------------------- 9-10
VII.
Miscellaneous ------------------------------------------------------------------ 11-14
1. Gifts ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11-12
2. Deselection & Discards --------------------------------------------------- 12
3. Evaluation ------------------------------------------------------------------- 12-13
4. Complaints & Censorship ------------------------------------------------- 13-14
VIII.
References ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 14-15
I. Overview
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Currently, there does not exist a formal collection development policy for the Maurice
Sendak collection at the Rosenbach Museum and Library. My suggestion for a collection
development policy for this collection would be for them to really focus on the audience for
this collection and the purpose behind maintaining it. Philadelphia provides quite a broad
range of patrons that could visit the Rosenbach. But even more than that, the content of this
particular collection is so diverse – art, children’s literature, manuscripts – that it will draw
artists, writers, students, children, and parents alike. By using the collection development
policy to specify which of these client groups the Rosenbach is collecting for, even if it’s all,
they can not only determine how to collect efficiently, but how to maintain their collection
effectively. Because of how specific this topic is, areas such as subjects to be collected will
be relatively straight forward. However, the areas about formats and gifts need to be very
specific – will they accept somebody’s signed copy of Where the Wild Things Are? Probably
not; it wouldn’t be necessary, nor would there be any cost effectiveness involved in such a
gift. Will they collect the film Where the Wild Things Are, or just items created solely by
Maurice Sendak himself?
In terms of a mission and goal for this collection, I would first look to the overall
mission and goal for the Rosenbach – “the Rosenbach seeks to inspire curiosity, inquiry,
and creativity by engaging broad audiences in exhibitions, programs, and research based
on its remarkable and expanding collections” (Mission & History). This statement provides
quite a basis for a collection development policy. It states an idea of the intended service
clientele (broad audience), a very general idea of the parameters of the collection
(paradoxically both exclusive – remarkable – and seeking growth – expanding), as well as a
short description of what the library strives to offer (exhibitions, programs, and research).
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However, for the Maurice Sendak collection, the mission and goal should certainly be more
specific. For the collection, the following would suffice as a mission and goal statement –
The Maurice Sendak collection of the Rosenbach seeks to promote creativity, wonderment,
and artistry in all by enlightening all interested with the creations of Maurice Sendak
through programs, exhibitions, and research while preserving rare and unique items
pertaining to Maurice Sendak and his work. By having a statement similar to the
Rosenbach’s, it ensures that this collection “supports the goals of the parent institution”
(Collins). Also, because this collection is so comprehensive and specific, it would behoove
the museum to emphasize the fact that they are attempting to preserve these materials
which otherwise might fall to the elements.
II. User Community to be Served
As per the Rosenbach’s explanation, the user group for the museum itself is a broad one.
This implies that the Rosenbach intends to reach as many people as they can, excluding
nobody. In keeping with the Rosenbach’s mission in that regard, the Maurice Sendak
collection should be no different in terms of who it is trying to reach. However, the content
of the collection certainly appeals to a specific user group, making it essential for the
museum to at least establish a primary and secondary service community in order to better
plan for appropriate acquisitions and programming. For this collection, the primary service
community should be college and graduate students and scholars. The secondary service
community should be elementary aged students (grades 1-8).
The reason for these choices is based in both the overall mission of the museum, as well
as the content of the collection. The Rosenbach’s goal to “inspire curiosity, inquiry, and
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creativity,” fits very nicely with a service community comprised of students of any age. Not
only that, but the museum provides the opportunity for field trips, perfect for elementary
aged students, and for research, perfect for college and graduate students. Once again, the
content certainly helps to determine these primary and secondary service communities.
Given the large percentage of Maurice Sendak’s work that is children’s literature or related
to children’s literature, elementary aged students are no doubt a target audience of such a
collection. However, because of the detailed nature of the collection – “original drawings,
preliminary sketches, manuscript materials, photographs, proofs, and rare prints of Sendak
books” – the content also appeals to an audience of higher education (Maurice Sendak
Collection).
Another reason to have college and graduate students as a primary service community
is because of the specific and comprehensive nature of the collection. It may be the only
place for many college and graduate students and scholars to study Sendak’s work in such
depth. These items allow for research and study of Sendak’s artistic career rather than just
observation of it. According to their website, the Rosenbach’s research clientele consists of
about 50% “’traditional scholars’ – academic faculty and graduate students” (Research at
the Rosenbach Museum & Library). Certainly, this statistic might differ from collection to
collection. Given the subject material in the Maurice Sendack collection, the clientele would
become more specific – faculty and graduate students in a field related to children’s
literature and art, collectors of children’s literature and art, as well as fans of Maurice
Sendack.
Another compelling reason for these two service communities being the primary and
secondary service communities for the collection is because of the demographics of the
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area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the total population of the Philadelphia
urbanized area (which includes the areas surrounding Philadelphia in Pennsylvania,
Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware) is approximately 5,149,499 as of the year 2000. Of
that population, 1,431,939 are enrolled in school anywhere from preschool up to graduate
school. The elementary aged and college and graduate students total about 949,333, nearly
20% of the entire population of that area (U.S. Census Bureau). The greater Philadelphia
area is teeming with students of all ages ready to be a part of the service community for the
Maurice Sendak collection.
III. Subject Areas to be Collected
This section of the collection development policy should not be a very extensive one –
the very nature of this collection forces a specific subject area. However, to be thorough,
the policy for the Maurice Sendak collection should specify that it will only acquire material
pertaining to Maurice Sendak directly. For example, the museum should not acquire items
discussing his ancestors or children’s literature in general. Every item should pertain
directly to Sendak, such as items created by him directly, items about him, or items about
his work. This section will also discuss the various collection levels of material to be
collected, such as “Elizabeth Futas’ […] categories called recreational, informational,
instructional, and reference” (Evans & Saponaro, 2005, p. 59). For this collection, there is a
broad audience – from small children to scholarly researchers and most people in between.
Therefore, the library must make a point to collect items that fit into all collection levels in
order to reach all of their user groups.
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IV. Formats to be Collected
Evans and Saponaro emphasize that “few libraries collect all categories, formats, or
subjects” related to their collection (2005, p. 57). However, because the Maurice Sendak
collection has such a specific subject area, it can afford to have a much broader range of
formats able to be collected. The formats acquired already in the Sendak collection are
quite vast – watercolor, pen-and-ink, pencil, prints, acrylic paintings, dummy books,
publisher’s proofs, manuscripts, typescripts, posters, videos, DVDs, newspapers,
merchandise, photographs, programs, and costumes (Why is Sendak at the Rosenbach? &
Recent Acquisitions). With that in mind, the collection does not seem to have a format that
they will not accept, as long as the item pertains to Maurice Sendak. Also given that Sendak
has worked in art, writing, film, and opera, he has stepped into a world of many formats –
since the Rosenbach’s collection of Sendak’s work is so comprehensive, they should leave
themselves open to acquiring any and all formats available in order to maintain such a
comprehensive collection.
V. Programming
Due to the varying natures of the service communities and potential other visitors, a
well as the diversity of the content of the Sendak collection, the programming must also be
diverse. Evans and Saponaro discuss subject areas or different authors in a collection
providing varying collecting levels – i.e. recreational, informational, instructional, and
reference (2005, p. 58-59). Given the relatively singular nature of the subject for this
collection, the variances in collection levels will not come from different subjects or
authors, but rather from the programming offered using the materials. The collection
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development policy should stipulate that there needs to be programming available for all
groups the Maurice Sendak collection targets. It should include informational and
instructional programming for the younger groups, reference, instructional, and
informational programming for the scholarly groups, and recreational programming for the
casual groups.
The Rosenbach already has various programming available for this collection that fit
into those categories. For example, for the elementary and school aged service community,
the Rosenbach offers a school partnership program which allows for classes to visit on field
trips which “develop in-depth, multidisciplinary project” (School Partnerships). For such an
age group, they also provide programs such as Sendak in Spring where families could come
to watch a storytelling performance of Sendak’s works and to create a 3-D book, both of
which fit into the prescribed category of informational and instructional (Sendak in
Spring).
For the scholarly groups (or really any interested), the Rosenbach offers the ability to
schedule research appointments with their collections (Research at the Rosenbach
Museum & Library). The Maurice Sendak collection, in keeping with the museums overall
programming and to maintain a reference based programming, should also maintain this
option in the policy. Another program available through the Sendak collection is
Conversation with the Curator: Sendak Jam Session in which the curator of the Grace Notes: A
Sendakian Rhapsody speaks on his curatorial choices (Conversation with the Curator).
Having regular lecture type programming is important for the Sendak collection and should
be continued in the policy. Not only does it reach the scholarly service community, but it
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draws in others who might desire more informational and instructional programming than
simply browsing the exhibit.
Also available as programming for the Sendak collection are rotating exhibitions of the
collection itself, as well as guided tours. These programs should also be continued in the
policy because they are the best way to reach a broad service community. They are both
informational and recreational – people can browse for pleasure, or take a tour in order to
learn more about Sendak and the collection.
In terms of circulation, because this collection is comprised of almost exclusively unique
items that are potentially quite fragile and very valuable, the collection development policy
should prohibit any circulation of materials. Also, given the great amount of emphasis put
on exhibitions of the material in this collection, circulating it would only take away from
the various exhibits and research available for patrons. It is inevitably for this reason that
the Rosenbach requires an appointment for research so they can control the use of the
material housed in the collections.
VI. Selection Process
Once again, because of the specific nature of the collection, this section of the policy
would focus greatly on clearly defining what it means to be considered an item of Maurice
Sendak. The first order of business to clarify would be who is doing the selecting. It would
certainly not be the end users, nor would it be a librarian who does not specialize in the
subject area. Because the library is also a museum, and the items collected are beyond that
of a typical library, the person doing the collecting must be very familiar with the collection
and the subject. Definitely, the librarian/curator in charge of the collection should be the
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primary selector for the collection. In addition to him/her, the head librarian/curator of the
museum should be involved in the selection process, making sure to maintain the mission
and goal of the museum as a whole.
Because the collection is not dealing with items that end user’s are demanding for
circulation, the selection criteria needs to be centered primarily on how the item fits within
the collection itself. The Rosenbach should only select items that pertain to Sendak directly,
whether he created the item in some way or someone created the item for or about him.
Selection aids will not be useful for this collection because the items of interest are entirely
unique. There will not be a flyer or review released about ephemera related to Sendak’s
career such as posters and programs from the operas he designed. Selectors will have to act
as archivists in the sense that they will have to rely upon seeking out items, following leads
on items, and accepting gifts.
The selection policy should mirror the mission and goal, because what the library
selects will either maintain or destroy the mission and goal entirely. The first criteria the
mission and goal implies is that the items need to promote creativity, wonderment, and
artistry through Sendak’s works. Therefore, the items must be Sendak’s work and they
must have some sort of value when utilized by the end user, whether through research or
simply through an exhibit. The second part of the mission and goal explains that the items
must have a need to be in the collection – i.e. they are so unique that they need a place in
which they can be preserved. So, the library will not select something purely on the basis
that it is a Sendak work and creative – it must be unique or rare, therefore needing
protective housing.
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VII.
Miscellaneous
1. Gifts
The first area to discuss in this section of the collection development policy would be a
gift policy. Since this type of collection relies more heavily on gifts than others in order to
maintain its comprehensive nature, it’s policy needs to address how the selectors will deal
with gifts. In fact, the gift policy will have a great bearing on the shape of the collection in
the first place. This part of the policy must emphasize the mission and goal in that gifts
should not be accepted if the item would not need preservation to some degree. For
example, the museum should select a gift of the first draft of Sendak’s illustrations for E.T.A.
Hoffmann’s Nutcracker because it would require preservation for that unique item to
continue existing. However, a copy of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s book would not need selecting
because it is not unique in any sense, therefore does not need preservation in order to
continue. As Evans and Saponaro explain, “the golden rule for gifts is: Do not add a gift
unless it is something the library would buy” (2005, p. 61).
Uniqueness and need of preservation should not be the only criteria for accepting gifts,
however. The item being offered should also adequately fit into the collection, therefore
matching with the other half of the mission and goal statement for the collection. The item
must be one that can promote creativity, wonderment, and artistry by enlightening all
interested. Even more importantly, the item must directly pertain to Maurice Sendak. Even
if it can achieve the promotion of creativity, wonderment, and artistry through
enlightenment, it does not belong in the collection if it is not created by Sendak or created
in direct relation with Sendak’s work. By maintaining this strict gift policy, the Rosenbach
will avoid accepting items that add bulk to their collection without adding meaning.
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2. Deselection and Discards
Another important area of the miscellaneous section of the policy for the Sendak
collection is the deselection and discards policy. There is not an infinite number of items
this collection could house, both because it is such a finite subject area and because the
library would not have the room. Because of this, the library must have a policy explaining
when and why an item should be discarded in the situation that they run out of room or
need to make room for a more appropriate item. The first criteria is if the item’s purpose is
being fulfilled by more items within the collection. If in the evaluation of the materials, the
librarian finds five programs from an opera Sendak designed, just from different nights,
certainly one will provide the same purpose that all five of them do. Another criteria to
consider would be the amount the item is being used. Since the collection allows for
research appointments, the person in charge of discards should keep records of what items
are being used in research and what items are not. The items that do not receive much use
will be better targets for discarding. One more criteria would be to examine the item’s use
in programming: does this item have a display value?, can it assist in the creation of a
program?, etc.
3. Evaluation
The evaluation portion of the policy should mostly be related to the evaluation of
selectors and where the collection stands in terms of being a comprehensive collection of
Sendak’s works (Evans & Saponaro, 2005, p. 63). Because Sendak works directly with the
Rosenbach, often gifting his items to them (Why is Sendak at the Rosenbach?), there is not
12
another Maurice Sendak collection that rivals the Rosenbach’s with which this one could
compare. However, by evaluating the performance of the selectors and those maintaining
the collection, the museum would essentially be evaluating the progress of the collection.
The evaluation of the staff must make sure they are properly following selection criteria
and gift policies, but that they are also maintaining the collection in such a way that the
library is not overrun with items which could have easily been discarded.
4. Complaints and Censorship
Lastly, the miscellaneous section must deal with complaints and censorship. This could
be a touchy area because the collection welcomes people of all ages, especially family
groups. Sendak’s collection certainly has the potential to illicit complaints, especially when
you consider some of his materials having a history of being banned and censored. Even
though, however, the collection attracts family clientele and certainly caters to them,
complaints about material must be handled in the context of the mission and goal. The
librarian must ask themselves: does the item in question adequately meet the needs of the
mission and goal of this collection?, and, maybe more importantly, will the collection be
lesser with the discarding of this item? Upon the happening of a complaint, the librarian
must “agree to review [the item]” regardless of if the answer to the complaint is known
already in order to maintain good relations with the clientele. (Evans & Saponaro, 2005, p.
63). Since the collection is of a person’s career, discarding an item based on a complaint
will be a rarity – by discarding an item based on such a complaint, the library is essentially
censoring the man it is seeking to portray.
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VIII.
References
Collins, C. INFO 665 week two lecture notes [Word Document]. Retrieved from
http://drexel.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2f
ebpps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_3104
0_1%26rl%3d
Conversation with the curator: Sendak jam session. (n.d.). The Rosenbach Museum &
Library. Retrieved from http://www.rosenbach.org/learn/events/conversation
curator-sendak-jam-session.
Evans, G.E. & Saponaro, M.Z. (2005). Developing library and information center collections
(5th ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Maurice Sendak collection. (n.d.). The Rosenbach Museum & Library. Retrieved from
http://www.rosenbach.org/learn/collections/maurice-sendak-collection.
Mission & history. (n.d.). The Rosenbach Museum & Library. Retrieved from
http://www.rosenbach.org/mission-history.
Recent acquisitions. (n.d.). The Rosenbach Museum & Library. Retrieved from
http://www.rosenbach.org/learn/collections/acquisitions.
Research at the Rosenbach museum & library. (n.d.). The Rosenbach Museum & Library.
Retrieved from http://www.rosenbach.org/learn/research.
School partnerships. (n.d.). The Rosenbach Museum & Library. Retrieved from
http://www.rosenbach.org/learn/school-partnerships.
Sendak in spring. (n.d.). The Rosenbach Museum & Library. Retrieved from
http://www.rosenbach.org/learn/events/sendak-spring.
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U.S. Census Bureau. (2000). Philadelphia, PA—NJ—DE—MD urbanized area. Profile of
selected social characteristics: 2000. Retrieved from
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-context=qt&
qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP2&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-tree_id=403&
redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=label&
geo_id=40000US69076&-search_results=40000US69076&-format=&-_lang=en
Why is Sendak at the Rosenbach? (n.d.). The Rosenbach Museum & Library. Retrieved from
http://www.rosenbach.org/why-sendak-rosenbach.
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