Reader Services In Archives & Special Collections At Penn State Harrisburg

1. Heidi N. Abbey, M.A., M.L.S. Humanities Reference Librarian and Archivist“Services for the Future Retreat,” University LibrariesFriday, 15 May 2009 Reader Services In Archives & Special Collections At Penn State Harrisburg

2. “Use is the end of all archival effort.” (Mark Greene, “The Power of Archives: Archivists’ Values and Value in the the Post-Modern Age,” 72nd SAA Presidential Address, Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, Hilton San Francisco, CA, 29 August 2008.) Strategic Planning

3. Vision Statement (October 2008) • By 2012-2013, Archives & Special Collections will have the infrastructure and expertise: • To provide effective archival management • To provide educational programming for specialized research collections and the records of Penn State Harrisburg’s campus and community. Strategic Planning - 1

4. Goal Statement: Reader Services • Create a team of faculty and staff to manage day-to-day and administrative functions Strategic Planning - 2

5. Goal Statement: Reader Services • Offer a full complement of reader services to users both on and off-campus • Short-term strategies • Policies, procedures, documentation • Patron registration Reproduction services • Parallel services established by Special Collections at University Park Strategic Planning - 3

6. Goal Statement: Reader Services • Short-term strategies (Cont’d.) • Establish a management structure (faculty, staff, student employees, internship program) • Regularize public service hours • Establish a general Reader Services Desk (aka Reference Desk) in the Reading Room Strategic Planning - 4

7. “Use is the end of all archival effort.” (Mark Greene, “The Power of Archives: Archivists’ Values and Value in the the Post-Modern Age,” 72nd SAA Presidential Address, Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, Hilton San Francisco, CA, 29 August 2008.) Reader Services

8. New Reference Desk • December 2008: New Reference Desk created • Spring 2009: Reference Desk staffed by faculty, staff, students, interns • Benefits • Collections surveillance • Formal point of information/reference

9. New Ready Reference • Fall 2008: Established a “Ready Reference” Collection • Focus on resources that pertain to archival science (for interns), women’s studies (Alice Marshall Collection) • Finding Aids

11. New Reader Services • Patron registration form (in development) for user statistics • Reproduction services (new flatbed scanner) • Establishing public service standards for staff, students, interns

12. “Use is the end of all archival effort.” (Mark Greene, “The Power of Archives: Archivists’ Values and Value in the the Post-Modern Age,” 72nd SAA Presidential Address, Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, Hilton San Francisco, CA, 29 August 2008.) (ASCIG) Archives & Special Collections Interest Group

13. ASCIG/Campus Curators • June 2007: ASCIG proposed by Jane Ingold (Erie) and Heidi Abbey (Harrisburg) • Purpose: Facilitate best practices and information sharing among staff, library faculty responsible for archives and special collections at the Campus College Libraries

14. ASCIG/Campus Curators • Activities: Meeting once or twice each year (Spring and Fall 2008) to discuss “hot topics” at each campus. Summer 2009 meeting anticipated. • ASCIG Wiki Now Available! https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/ASCIG/ASCIG+Home • About, Membership • Meetings and Activities • Forms, Policies, Procedures • Vendor Information, Links, etc.

16. Please contact me at heidi.abbey@psu.edu Thank You! Questions Or Comments?