Baseline/enhanced/exemplary local studies

Using the measures from Living learning libraries, baseline, enhanced and exemplary describe levels of collecting and service. In this instance, the names are not evidence based, but as used to describe three levels of service delivery. They will help when you are thinking about implementing or enhancing local studies at your library.

Local studies is always developing and as technologies change, this may change points from one category to another. As well, different parts of the collection may be at different stages, so part of local studies may be exemplary, when most of local studies is baseline.

Exemplary will deliver the best outcomes for your community, irrespective of the size of collection and service. Good baseline and enhanced can still be delivered by well managed local studies services.

An effective baseline service is a very good place to start. This will provided a solid building block to move towards enhanced and exemplary.

The above points are to be considered regardless of collection size, community size, staffing and funding.

Baseline

Benefits to the community: Local studies should provide access for the community to materials of local interest and relevance, both historical and current. Local studies is a distributed national collection; each collection and service is tailored to the unique needs and background of each community and the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This includes sharing stories of Indigenous Australian history and experience, connecting people at a local level in reconciliation efforts.

Elements of baseline local studies include:

• Included in collection management policy - policy should ensure that the content is collected with appropriate informed consent, including deposit,access and use)
• Material is catalogued and on Trove
• Staff are trained in local studies practice
• Staff are able to assist clients with their research
• Any published official history of the local government area and is predecessors
• Printed books about the local area – including from schools, sporting groups, clubs, family histories
• Basic collection of photographs, all formats – some accessible online, some older material not yet digitised
• Some oral history recordings
• Some local newspapers (could be on microfilm)
• Key council documents (LEP, annual reports)
• A policy and relevant forms for accepting donations
• Local studies mentioned in library/council disaster plan

Enhanced

Benefits to the community: An enhanced collection will provide a service to appeal to wider community, and there is greater content creation and looking at partnerships. As well, preservation is better addressed.

As well as the elements includes in the baseline, the elements of enhanced local studies include:

• Ephemera
• Significance assessment
• Council documents – environmental studies, consultants reports, council policies, population profiles, rate books, minute books
• Proactive seeking donations from the community
• Working with community around creating content
• Oral history collection – some in accessible online, some older material not yet digitised
• Library staff creating content
• Some collecting of social media content
• Photographic collection (print and negatives) preserved and housed in archival storage
• The Collection fosters publications about the area both past and present.
• Support the management of complementary heritage collections
• Collection through joint funding applications and collaborative partnerships
• Identifying merchandise potential, and merchandise from local studies collection
• Local studies has a section library/council disaster plan

Exemplary

Benefits to the community: Comprehensive online research, interpretive exhibitions, more reuse of the material by the community and more content creation. Visible through the community, with the library facilitating and partnering with a wide range of groups and individuls. As well as the elements includes in the baseline and enhanced, the elements of exemplary local studies include:

• Significance and preservation assessment
• Comprehensive collecting in all formats, including social media
• All material which can be digitised is, and available online
• State of the art/best practice preservation and storage for all material
• Working with community partners
• High visibility in the community of the local studies collection
• Comprehensive collection management description (does not need to be separate document)
• Comprehensive collection of Council documents - note these may be collected by the Council archives or records
• Detailed access to local studies oral history collections, for example using OHMS (Oral History Metadata Synchroniser)
• Council consulting with library as part of planning processes
• The Collection commissions publications about the area both past and present.
• Staff are trained in recovery and rescuing of damaged local studies items
• Staff curate interpretive exhibitions

Guidelines for having a local studies collection

Baseline enhanced exemplary local studies suggested service levels

The value of a local studies collection

Who is the audience local studies

Collection policy local studies

Managing collections local studies

Providing access local studies

Rights and permissions local studies

Staff local studies

Researching local studies

Programs and publicity local studies

Evaluation local studies