4-45 Local History & Genealogy Collection Development Policy
About the Collection
The Chatham Area Public Library collects, organizes, preserves, and provides access to sources that document the historical and current information of Chatham and Ball Township and contiguous townships of Auburn, Cotton Hill, Curran, Loami, New Berlin, and, Woodside along with their inhabitants, government, environment, businesses, institutions, and organizations. The aim of this collection is to provide resources for Chatham area residents and researchers to explore the personal, historical, and cultural heritage of Chatham area and its environs in meaningful and creative ways.
Collection Topics
The emphasis of the Local History and Genealogy Collection is on documenting 8 surrounding townships and Village of Chatham’s government, settlement, industry, commerce, education, recreation, and historically significant individuals, as well as the history of its civic, religious, cultural, and social organizations. The collection supports activities related to historical and genealogical research, exhibits, community outreach, organizational events, and publications, among others. Genealogical materials to help researchers trace their family backgrounds and/or aid in researching the history of individual town residents are also collected.
Primary Areas of Collecting
Primary areas of collecting include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
- Materials that record the history, development, and the current state of affairs of the Village of Chatham and the area townships Township. Images of Chatham sites and individual residents are an important part of this collection.
- Personal manuscripts and other materials that record the history, experiences, and ancestry of Chatham area individuals and families.
- Records that chronicle the history of Chatham area organizations and institutions.
- Materials that record the social and cultural heritage of past and present ethnic, immigrant, and religious groups in the community.
- Materials that contribute to a better understanding of the area’s geography, demographics, and architecture.
- Materials that record and provide context for understanding the lives of historically significant figures associated with the Chatham area
- Materials that provide instruction in the practice of genealogy, local history, preservation, oral history, and similar topics.
Acquisitions from any time period and in any language may be considered. The geographic scope of the collection focuses specifically on Chatham and Ball Township and contiguous townships of Auburn, Cotton Hill, Curran, Loami, New Berlin, and Woodside as well as encompass the regions of the United States where residents’ ancestors emigrated from.
Preferred Formats
Formats collected include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
- Atlases
- Audio recordings
- Books
- Census records
- City & county histories
- Digital files
- Ephemera
- Government documents
- Institutional or organizational records
- Maps
- Newspaper (Chatham Clarion)
- Organizational directories
- Pamphlets
- Periodicals & journals
- Personal letters, memoirs, diaries, account books, & financial records
- Photographs
- Scrapbooks
- Serials
- Town directories
- Video recordings
Selection Criteria
- Relevance to the local history
- Non-duplication of material within the collection
- Authenticity & completeness of record
- Quality of the physical form of material
- Ease of use for patrons
- Ability to store, display, or otherwise care for the item properly
- Cost to preserve, store, and process
- Security requirements to store and/or display
- Lack of restrictions by donor
Donations / Deed of Gift
The Library welcomes donations to its Opal Lee Local History and Genealogy Collection. Each donation to the collection will be recorded in a donor file that will contain a copy of the Deed of Gift and all correspondence and memoranda relating to the transaction.
All donors must complete a Deed of Gift Form (APPENDIX A) in order to establish the transfer of ownership of donated materials (and copyright, if appropriate) to the Library. Once the Deed of Gift is signed by the donor, the donated material becomes the unrestricted property of the Library.
The Library reserves the right to refuse an offered donation. The Library will not accept material that shows damage from mold, mildew, water, insects, smoke, or dirt, as such material can harm other items in the collection. The Library may also refuse a donation based on the Selection Criteria.
The Library reserves the right to decide how the donated material will be displayed or stored, how the material may be used by the public, and how long the material will be retained.
Donated materials may be scanned and placed on the Internet for viewing or otherwise reformatted. They may also be moved from the Local History and Genealogy Collection to other sections of the library, sold, transferred to another library, or discarded.
The Library will not, and cannot, conduct any monetary appraisals for donors nor give tax advice. If donors plan to take a tax deduction for their donations, they should consult a tax accountant or attorney. Any monetary appraisals are the responsibility of the donor and should be conducted before transferring materials to the Library.
Accessibility
The Local History and Genealogy Collection is mainly housed in the Opal Lee Chatham History and Genealogy Room, which is open for public use during normal Library hours. Every effort is made to make the collection as accessible to the public as possible, but due to the nature of this collection, materials are non-circulating. Irreplaceable, fragile, or valuable materials may be locked away in order to ensure their long-term future use, but these materials can easily be accessed in some cases online or through the help of a librarian.
Reappraisal & De-accession
From time to time, the Local History and Genealogy Collection will be reappraised, and the deaccession of some materials may take place. The Library will offer the deaccessioned materials to other institutions, sell, or discard them.
LEGAL REF.: 75 ILCS 16/30-60
CROSS REF.: 2-70, 4-20, 4-40, 5-40, 5-70
ADOPTED: SEPTEMBER 18, 2023