[Michlib-l] Collections housed at your library, owned by another organization?

[Andrea Ingmire]

Are there any libraires out there who house a physical material collection that isn't owned by you?

We house a Genealogy collection that is owned by our local genealogical society. This collection has ~1800 items in it has been available at PWPL for 20 years. Right before the pandemic closure we had started to talk to this group about needing a new agreement for this relationship and suggested that it would be easier all around if the society was to donate the collection to our library so that we can maintain it as we do the rest of our collection. That landed like a lead balloon. We then suggested that another option was for them to pay a nominal space rental fee of $150 a year and provide insurance for their collection. This is also landing like a lead balloon. There are also a few other things that we do for the society (receive all their mail, provide storage/work room space, and staff time) and in turn the society provides presenters for our genealogy lock-ins/workshops.

I'm curious about whether there are other libraries who have this type of agreement with an outside organization. How do you handle insurance for the collection if it doesn't belong to you? Do you charge any kind of space rental fee?

This group is very difficult to work with, and as my board president pointed out, they are master manipulators. I'm trying to decide which hill I want to die on, or if I can find an alternate option to the hill/dying situation 😉

Happy Friday!
Andrea


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[cid:aa0943de-6c2d-4089-a045-4903ddfa5b87]


Andrea Ingmire, MLIS (she/her)

Library Director

Peter White Public Library

(906) 226-4303 (office)

(906) 250-0080 (cell)

(906) 226-1783 (fax)

www.pwpl.info<http://www.pwpl.info/>

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