The value of a local studies collection
Why collect?
Connecting the community with the local studies collection is a way to help build community, and sense of place. This is for new as well as older communities. There is an expectation from the community about being able to obtain information, current and historical about the local area. A local studies collection can be a key way this information is provided.
Local studies provides potential for community engagement including through exhibitions, research, workshops, online access through catalogues and social media, life-long learning, outreach, memory box/reminiscence kit, storytelling and storytime.
Strong local studies collections and services can showcase the strengths and diversity of the community and reflect well on the local council. It can build community awareness of local Indigenous history and experiences.This could provide opportunities to invite elders or Aboriginal community members to connect with the library.
Strong local studies collections and services can help Council and other organisations make informed decisions. Digitisation and digital collecting provides libraries with opportunities to engage members of the public to tell stories about their histories. It can also make it easy for people to reuse content (taking copyright into account) to create new content or materials.
It can be important to collect material which has a critical impact on the council area, but exist outside the boundaries. It is about your council in the context of the surrounding area.
Having the library collection and staff skills known in other council departments helps to build internal partnerships. This can lead to material from across the council being added to the local studies collection, or library staff being involved with committees, such as the heritage committee.
The community needs to know that you can preserve the collection it, store it, provide access to it, into perpetuity.
For local studies, a library will acquire, create, catalogue, preserve, provide access to, store and promote the historic and cultural heritage material relating to their community. This material will be in a range of formats and languages. This includes, but is not limited to, information in the following broad subject areas:
- Local Indigenous culture, heritage, history and experiences
- Social, economic, industrial, cultural, and political history
- Natural and built environment, landscape and geography
Visits People can view local studies collections online and in libraries. How much can be viewed depends on digitisation and preservation. Digitisation can increase the visits to the library as online discovery may lead to curiosity to visit the library in person.
Local studies has tourism potential. The library can inspire people to visit and connect with significant local areas, for example relation to Indigenous history and other local social history.
Guidelines for having 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