Introduction

Taking It Further — Beyond the Primary Lesson

Additional Topics for Discussion

The additional topics described below could be the subject of classroom discussion and activities if more time is available, or they could be incorporated into the primary lesson as desired, depending on the instructor’s interests and background. Topics and activities are divided according to the three main parts of the primary lesson, and additional readings for students (upon which the discussions/activities are based) are provided.

Part I: Overview

Historical Background: additional topics that could be discussed include:
Early impulses to preserve
The Renaissance and the rise of artists and works of art
The Enlightenment and the Encyclopedists
The Romantic movement’s imperative to preserve
The 20th century and the rise of professionalism

Part II: Prolonging the Life of Cultural Heritage Collections

Mission and Collecting Policy. In an ideal world, a basic statement of a repository’s mission and collecting goals would be put together before actually identifying and acquiring collections. In reality, however, at least some collections may have been gathered haphazardly over time. Devising a mission statement and collecting policy can help an institution look critically at all the materials it holds and decide whether they really belong in the collection.
Activity: Brainstorm a mission statement for a library/archives/historical collection (use a real situation or a case study).
Intellectual Control. Depending on the background of the students in the course, some may be unfamiliar with methods for organizing archival collections. Discuss standard procedures for arranging archival collections and for producing finding aids and MARC records for these collections.
Activity: Show examples of online finding aids produced using the Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Standard.
Selection for Preservation. Explore in more detail the various criteria to consider when selecting collections for preservation action. In many cases, libraries have chosen to preserve only those collections that are circulated and used. But the library community has also realized that research libraries have a responsibility to preserve collections that may be important for research in the future, even if they are not currently used. Thus, strategies have also been developed to select collections for preservation according to their quality and importance.
Activity: Provide a case study that illustrates different types of collections, devide students into groups, and ask them to brainstorm which collections should have priority for preservation, and why. Share the answers with the rest of the class.

Class 1 Lesson Plan
Introduction

Taking It Further — Beyond the Primary Lesson

Additional Topics for Discussion

Part I: Overview

Part II: Prolonging the Life of Cultural Heritage Collections

Suggested Further Readings

Overview

Prolonging the Life of Cultural Heritage Collections

Class 1 Lesson PlanIntroduction

Taking It Further — Beyond the Primary Lesson

Additional Topics for Discussion

Part I: Overview

Part II: Prolonging the Life of Cultural Heritage Collections

Suggested Further Readings

Overview

Prolonging the Life of Cultural Heritage Collections

Class 1 Lesson Plan
Introduction