What Do People Want and How to Get It to Them: Patron- Driven Processing Priorities

Abstract

Special Collections librarians constantly consider how to prioritize access, tackle backlogs, and get patrons the materials they want with limited resources. Why not let our researchers guide our choices? This seminar explores how to develop strategies for setting patron-driven priorities based on localized recommendations and course requests. Practical instruction will illustrate how to channel researcher involvement into your collection development and processing decisions while developing rare book and manuscript collections. This session presents the most current knowledge on creating and setting priorities and developing long-range plans based on patron requests and how this approach can provide a much-needed focus for any special collections repository.