This book will explore ways of establishing value in the archives by using a variety of methodologies and exploring a range of contexts. In the United Kingdom DCMS uses various valuation matrices to allocate resources, whilst other organizations both internationally and domestically (such as local authorities and universities) are following suit. In some contexts in the UK, other developed countries, and particularly developing countries, archives have an evidential value to redress grievances and to assist in the fight against fraud and corruption. The retention of records for evidential value demands the retention of case papers relating to individuals that until now have not normally been retained. As more and more record keeping becomes digital, costs of preservation will inevitably increase which makes developing methodologies to justify additional costs urgent, particularly in poorly resourced developing countries which have been encouraged to go digital by aid agencies and donor countries. This book will be useful reading for professional archivists and students on archival studies courses. In the wider world of cultural heritage valuation is of increasing importance in justifying services and bidding for scant resources. As a result, Do Archives Have Value? will also be of interest to senior management with oversight of libraries and museums, owners of collections and external funders.

This book addresses the issue of valuing objects in cultural collections, ranging from high-value to low or no-value and featuring a range of collections including fine art, archives, science and photography. Practical advice is given on how to assign values and best practice examples are drawn from museums, libraries and archives. The subject of valuation has always been challenging for museums and public collections and is becoming more urgent as monetary values of many items continue to break records. There is an increase in lending, with more loans requiring a value for insurance. Cultural collections and exhibitions are expanding to all corners of the world, while, at the same time, lenders are becoming more risk-averse. Valuing Your Collection will address the issues and offer some solutions. Content covered includes: questions of valuing public and private cultural collectionsassigning values to individual objects or an entire collectionlegal and ethical considerationsdiscussion of authentication and attributionthe insurance business and valuationguides to valuing different types of collectionsa range of case studies showing valuation across multiple sectorssample templates with criteria for valuing different objects. This book will be useful for curators of cultural collections, professionals in museums, libraries and archives, cultural heritage students, private collectors, those involved with art insurance, art business and anyone requiring practical guidance on valuation.

In Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts, Dennis Meissner provides a solid foundation in the history, theory, and standards supporting arrangement and description. In addition, he clearly demonstrates the approaches, methods, and mechanics required to process archival collections.

In this exquisite collection of essays, 23 archivists from repositories across the profession examine the values that comprise the Core Values Statement of the Society of American Archivists. For each value, several archivists comment on what the value means to them and how it reflects and impacts archival work.

This book explains the concept of adding value and shows staff at libraries and other organizations why they need to take steps now to ensure they are adding new value to their communities—whether it be a local town or neighborhood, a faculty and student body, or a school. Value is at the core of every organization's purpose. Without value, organizations die. Libraries—as well as museums, archives, and galleries—have traditionally added value to their communities through their collections and services, but yesterday's collections and services are no longer enough. In order to remain sustainable, today's libraries, archives, museums, and galleries must explore new ways to add value that resonate in the lives of their customers. This unique book explains how addressing the "5 C's" of adding value—content, context, connection, collaboration, and community—enables organizations to find new ways to invigorate their services, better serve their communities, and thrive today and tomorrow. It addresses adding value in the context of other key topics, such as crowdsourcing, embedded librarianship, makerspaces, self publishing, and repurposing spaces. Filled with charts, tables, screenshots, and other visual representation, this is a useful and provocative guide that anyone interested in vesting in the successful future of libraries, archives, and museums needs to read.