Heritage Collection Development Guideline

1. Purpose

This Guideline supports the Collection Development Policy.

It provides a framework for the selection, acquisition and preservation of published materials for Libraries Tasmania Heritage Collection as part of its State Library function.

2.1 Collection description

Libraries Tasmania, in its State Library role, has a responsibility under the Libraries Act 1984 (the Act) ‘to collect and make available for use by the public, books relating to the history and development of the State’. 

This collection is referred to as the ‘Heritage Collection’ under the Act.

The Tasmanian Heritage Collection includes a state collection of published works such as Tasmanian publications, newspapers, ephemera and nationally significant heritage collections including

the W L Crowther Collection.

The State Library of Tasmania selects, acquires, preserves and provides access to materials relating to the history and development of the State.

The Heritage Collections are held at 91 Murray St, Hobart and Geilston Bay.

Under these guidelines the public library collections are all classed as local studies collections.

2.2 Formats

2.2.1 Physical formats

The Heritage Collection incorporates multiple formats such as:

2.2.2 Recordings

Recordings of Tasmanian performers, including musical groups and authors reading their own work, are priorities for acquisition.

Recordings of Tasmanian work by non-Tasmanian performers are generally only acquired if the work is not available in any other form, but may be considered if the performance can be demonstrated to have had particular impact or significance, for example, in the development of a composer’s or writer’s international reputation.

2.2.3 Tv and film

DVDs of movies and television programs filmed in Tasmania are priorities for acquisition.

Movies and television programs without Tasmanian content are generally not acquired, but may be considered if Tasmanians contributed substantially to the production, or the work can be demonstrated to have had a significant impact in Tasmania, for example, in the formation of social policy or major public controversy.

2.2.4 Digital content

National edeposit (NED) service

Tasmanian electronic publications are collected and managed on our behalf through the NED service.

If there are electronic publications lodged in NED that have content directly relevant to Tasmania or a Tasmanian author, and the publisher’s access conditions allow us to, they are added to our library catalogue.

Electronic publications

Electronic publications that are outside the scope of NED are acquired selectively.

Consideration is given to:

Digitisation of items held in the Heritage Collection

Digital copies of material are made in-house or commissioned from external bodies according to available resources and technical capacity.

Suggestions for digitisation are assessed according to the following criteria:

 

2.3 Collection areas and subject strengths

2.3.1 Tasmanian

The Tasmanian Heritage Collection preserves Tasmania’s documentary heritage. Material is collected for its:

The collection includes a state collection of published works such as Tasmanian publications, newspapers, ephemera and nationally significant heritage collections including

the W L Crowther Collection.

2.3.2 Cultural heritage

The Heritage Collection focuses on collecting a broad range of contemporary and historical material relating to the cultural heritage of Tasmania and it’s peoples. The collection comprises of narrative, scientific and historical works, as well as a multitude of non-book formats. The general nature of this collection is primarily non-fiction. Access to this collection is either electronically or in the Reading Room or History Room at 91 Murray Street, Hobart.

2.3.3 Macquarie Island and Antarctica

Macquarie Island and the Australian Antarctic Territory make up part of the collection scope of the Heritage Collection. Items relating to Australians in Antarctica, and to polar expeditions departing from or transiting through Tasmania, are collected. Other Antarctic and sub-Antarctic material is collected more selectively, with the aim of maintaining authoritative general information about the activities of all countries in Antarctica.

2.3.4 Whaling and sealing

The collection focus is on items relating to Tasmanian ships and sailors, whaling in the Southern Hemisphere, and sealing around Australia and New Zealand. Material relating to these industries in other regions is acquired more selectively, with a view to understanding the global context of Tasmanian experiences.

The W L Crowther Library has a significant collection of material, including a substantial number of original log books, relating to both the whaling and sealing industries.

2.3.5 Tasmanian reserve collection

The Tasmanian Reserve Collection houses additional copies of Tasmanian items which are surplus to demand at the present time. These items may be required in the future to replace copies held in library lending and Tasmanian reference collections.

The Tasmanian Reserve Collection is stored and managed at 91 Murray Street, Hobart.

This collection is managed as a closed stack only available to staff.

The essential purpose of this collection is to fill gaps in library collections as they arise, not to replicate core ‘heritage’ functions.

Selection criteria for this collection is as follows:

2.3.6 Language

The Heritage Collection is predominantly in English and this is a consideration in the assessment of new material.

Non-English heritage material and publications in other languages are acquired selectively based on the documentary value and historical significance. 

3. Selection and acquisition

Libraries Tasmania collects high quality items in existing and emerging formats.

Tasmanian content is defined as:

These criteria can be difficult to apply when:

In situations where it is unclear if the item is ‘Tasmanian’, the significance of the author or work to Tasmania, and the influence of Tasmanian experiences on them are considered. For example, Sara Douglass was inspired by Tasmania’s landscape and history, so we regard her as a Tasmanian author. Conversely, a book by an overseas academic who taught for a year or two in Tasmania would not be selected unless the work contained substantial Tasmanian references.

Materials for the Heritage Collection can be purchased through Libraries Tasmania’s budget or acquired through the following processes:

3.1 Legal deposit

The Libraries Act 1984​ requires a copy of everything published in Tasmania to be deposited in the State Library. 

This includes any ‘book, periodical, newspaper, printed matter, map, plan, music, manuscript, picture, print, motion picture, sound recording, photographic negative or print, microphotograph, video recording, and any other matter or thing whereby words, sounds, or images are recorded or reproduced’. 

Following legal advice obtained by National and State Libraries Australia in 2019, Libraries Tasmania adopted a definition of ‘published’ as ‘made available to the public with the authority of the publisher’.

3.2 Commonwealth cultural gifts program

The Cultural Gifts Program offers tax incentives to encourage people to donate cultural items to public art galleries, museums, libraries and archives in Australia. Donations of large collections, or items of major significance, are encouraged under the Cultural Gifts program.

3.3 Donations

Offers of donations or bequests of books or other collection materials are assessed for their significance, provenance and physical condition.

Libraries Tasmania reserves the right to reject any donation if it does not further our objectives.

Items may also not be accepted due to inappropriateness to our collection, condition or the amount of storage space required.

3.4 Commercial and private purchases

Any published material that falls within the priority collecting areas may be considered for purchase.

Potential purchases are assessed on:

Significance

How does it contribute to Tasmania’s documentary heritage?

Provenance

Does the ownership history enhance or detract from the significance?

Physical condition

Will it require packaging, or specialist conservation treatment?

Price

Is the vendor asking a reasonable current market price?

3.5 Exceptions and exclusions

In general, purchases of rare books and realia will only be considered if they have a significant Tasmanian connection.

Occasionally reference and scholarly resources are acquired to support specific collection areas within the Heritage Collection, however new acquisitions of original materials in these areas is not sought.

The Heritage Collection includes examples of early printed books, early Australiana and other notable publications which were acquired through collections that were donated by significant individuals including James Ebenezer Bicheno, William Walker, Sir William Crowther, and Henry Allport.

The W L Crowther Library includes substantial holdings of books and objects relating to the history of medicine.

The Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts includes collections of antique furniture and household objects.

We do not generally collect:

4. Deselection

Material in the Heritage Collections is designated for permanent preservation, the only exceptions might be:

5. Disposal

Libraries Tasmania may dispose of withdrawn library items and unwanted donations by any combination of the following methods:

Where items have been identified as having no alternative use, environmentally sustainable practices such as recycling will be used for disposal.

In practice, any Heritage Collection item marked for disposal is likely to be in such poor condition that it would be unsuitable for sale.

6. Definitions

Ephemera

Material which is designed to be short-lived and which is often not kept by its recipient and are non-commercial, non-book publications in the form of pamphlets, brochures, leaflets etc.

Format

The physical or digital makeup of an item. Formats may include books, serials, maps, pictures, microform, computer file, DVD and CD.

History Room

Located off the Reading Room Level 2, 91 Murray Street, Hobart Tasmania. Archival material is able to be requested and viewed in this area.

Item

Any title, regardless of format.

Legal Deposit

Legal deposit is a statutory provision which legally obliges publishers – commercial publishers, private individuals, clubs, churches, associations, societies and organisations – to deposit copies of their publications in the National Library of Australia and in the state or territory library in the region of publication.

Materials

Any works or items.

NED

National edeposit (NED) is a collaborative service for collecting, preserving and accessing Australian electronic publications.

Reading Room

Located on Level 2, 91 Murray Street, Hobart Tasmania.

Realia

Objects, such as coins, items, or natural specimens, that are included in a collection primarily composed of documentary materials, as in a library.

Resources

Library resources can be in many formats, physical or digital, including books, databases, maps, microform and newspapers, and are used for accessing and sharing information.

Stack Collections 

A book stack is a book storage area as opposed to a book browsing area.  Collections of less popular items can be stored off site and made accessible to clients via the holds service. 

Works

A ‘work’ may be a monograph, pamphlet, newspaper, map or ephemera. It may refer to a single book or resource or it may be used to describe the total output of an individual for example ‘the works of Richard Flanagan’.