HIDDEN COLLECTIONS, SCHOLARLY BARRIERS:: CREATING ACCESS TO UNPROCESSED SPECIAL COLLECTIONS MATERIALS IN AMERICA'S RESEARCH LIBRARIES

Abstract

I. Hidden Collections and the Challenge They Present

From the beginning of the ARL Special Collections Task Force’s work in 2001, it was clear that large unprocessed or underprocessed backlogs of rare book, manuscript, and archival materials were a major problem in research libraries around the country. Many participants at the Brown University ARL Conference on Special Collections in the summer of 2001 consistently listed materials backlogs as one of their institution’s major concerns.

• Uncataloged or underprocessed collections are at a greater risk of being lost or stolen and are difficult, if not impossible, to recover from legal authorities if . . .