1. Local History Collection [Research level]
a. Statement of Purpose
The Local History Collection is a significant resource on Monterey area and early California history. The Local History Collection preserves and provides public access to materials that document the social, cultural, political and economic heritage of the Monterey area, and the significant role that the Monterey area played in California history.
b. Collection Priorities, Limits, and Levels
i. Primary and Secondary Sources - Primary source material documenting the history of the Monterey area is given the highest priority. Secondary sources that supplement, provide background to, or enhance the chronological and geographic coverage of the Local History Collection are also acquired according to the specific limits and priorities below.
ii. Chronological and Geographic Limits - Selection is based on the following chronological and geographic limits and priorities. Current holdings which fall outside of these limits will be retained only if they support the purpose of the Local History Collection and assist users in understanding material which is within these limits.
The Monterey area includes coastal areas from Moss Landing to Big Sur as well as Salinas, Carmel Valley, and adjacent areas. The Monterey Peninsula includes Carmel, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove, Monterey, Del Rey Oaks, Sand City, Seaside, and adjacent unincorporated areas.
Monterey and California, before 1850. Materials on Esselen, Rumsien, and Salinan Native Americans are included with an emphasis on the Monterey area. Because Monterey played a pivotal role in the history of California up to 1850, materials on the Spanish, Mexican, and Early American periods of California history are selected. Materials on local history, archaeological sites, and Native American societies outside of the Monterey area are not collected.
Monterey County, before 1875. Materials on Monterey County as a whole, including the present San Benito County, are collected for the period when Monterey was the County Seat.
City of Monterey, 1850-present. Materials documenting or describing the history of the City of Monterey during all periods are collected as extensively as possible. Although storage space and staff resources do not permit exhaustive documentation, management, preservation, and retention are based on the Comprehensive collection level whenever possible.
Monterey area, 1850-present. Primary materials and research sources are collected with an emphasis on the Monterey Peninsula.
California, 1850-present. [Out of scope] Materials on the history of California after 1849 are not collected unless they include significant specific content on the Monterey area or document events and individuals with a significant specific impact on the Monterey area.
iii. Subject Areas - The Local History Collection includes materials in all subject areas within the stated chronological and geographic limits, with particular emphasis on the social, cultural, political, economic, literary and military history of the City of Monterey and the Monterey area.
iv. Formats - The Local History Collection is an integrated collection that acquires documentary material in most formats, including but not limited to monographs, manuscripts, textual records, correspondence, narratives, bound volumes, periodicals, maps, drawings, plans, microforms, photographs, sound recordings, films, videocassettes, DVDs, pamphlets, prints, and selected memorabilia and ephemera. Equipment is provided to permit public access to all possible formats.
Three-dimensional objects, including artifacts, sculpture, and textiles are not collected. Donated or available three-dimensional materials may be referred to the Museum and Cultural Arts Division.
v. Clipping and Pamphlet Files - The Clipping File consists of clipped or photocopied articles from the Monterey Herald and other regional newspapers, reports, histories and periodicals. The Monterey Herald file was closed at the end of 1994. (The Library maintains an online index of local news articles published in the Herald between January 1, 1995 and June 30, 2003, and other online sources are available.) Significant pamphlets, reports, and articles from other periodicals continue to be collected.
vi. Languages - The collection consists primarily of works in the English language. Significant materials in Spanish from the Spanish and Mexican periods of early California history are also collected. Materials in other languages are collected only if they include significant unique and specific content on the Monterey area.
vii. Fiction, other imaginative literature, and biographies. Materials written or produced for children - Works of fiction, poetry, drama, biography, and children's materials may be collected if they are of significant historical value within the scope of the Local History Collection as defined by this policy. A work may be of significant historical value if it provides unique and accurate historical information, it documents an important perspective on the Monterey area or early California, its publication had a significant historical impact, or it is of notable literary or artistic value.
viii. Local Authors - Works of Monterey Peninsula authors may be collected in the Local History Collection based on the other sections of this policy or if one of or more of the following conditions are met:
- The author is or was a full time resident of the Monterey Peninsula.
- The work pertains to the Monterey area.
- The work has enduring value.
- The work is not more appropriate elsewhere in the collection.
Works by local authors in the Local History Collection will be identified with a note in the catalog record.
ix. Library and Municipal Records - Library and municipal records will not be transferred to or accepted by the Local History Collection until Library or City officials have determined that such records are inactive. Records accepted by the Local History Collection must be of significant historical value within the scope of the Local History Collection as defined by this policy.
x. Local and Regional Government Publications - Documents published by local and regional government agencies may be retained in the Local History Collection if they are of historical significance for the City of Monterey. Because of the volume of documents published and space limitations, documents which relate primarily to other jurisdictions and documents which are available in other publicly accessible collections in the local area are generally not included. Draft documents are generally not retained when final versions are available.
xi. Partial Collections - No partial archival collection will be accepted if significant portions of the collection have already been deposited in another facility, and partition of the collection would adversely affect its integrity or research value.
c. Special Policies affecting the Local History Collection
i. Gifts - The Local History Collection will not accept donations of materials without legal transfer, deed of gift agreement, or other official acknowledgment. Gifts are acquired based on the criteria established in section IV of this policy. The Local History Collection will not accept collections that are closed to public access in perpetuity.
ii. Collection Maintenance - The Library reserves the right to dispose of any materials within the Local History Collection, subject to the terms of acquisition, the scope of the Local History Collection as defined by this policy, and section VI of this policy. The Library will attempt to locate an appropriate repository for historically significant materials which are determined to be outside the scope of the Local History Collection. Items with monetary value may be sold as specified in section VI.
iii. Loans and Deposits - Materials loaned to or deposited with the Local History Collection will be accepted only when they are within the scope of the Local History Collection as defined by this policy and all conditions of the loan or deposit are stipulated in writing and approved by the Library Director.
iv. Rights - The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs reproduction and other uses of copyrighted material. It is the customer's responsibility to secure legally required permissions for the use of Local History Collection materials from the holders of any copyrights or literary rights. Users are liable for any copyright infringement. Reasonable efforts will be made to secure or identify the holders of rights to materials acquired for the Local History Collection. Staff will assist customers wishing to use Local History Collection materials by providing any available information.
d. Cooperative Agreements affecting the Local History Collection
The Local History Collection will seek to establish cooperative programs with other area historical organizations in collection development, access, and public information. Resource sharing with other libraries and historical collections will include exchange of information about collections and collection administration. Staff will investigate the potential for creating a shared electronic catalog of local historical resources. Consideration should be given to the development of a cooperative documentation strategy for the Monterey area.
2. Monterey Collection [Advanced interest level]
A limited collection of popular materials about the City of Monterey and the Monterey area is maintained to provide useful information to visitors and highlight aspects of local history, natural history, culture, events, and activities for community residents. The collection may include materials in all circulating formats, titles for adults, children, and families, and titles in popular languages in addition to English. Multiple copies of travel guides and other high-demand titles are included. Except for historical materials, currency is important and new titles are selected to replace discarded materials. Materials are displayed prominently in the Library and are retained only while they are attractive and in good condition.
3. Civic Information Center [General interest level]
It is the responsibility of the public library to provide the resources required for informed citizenship. The Civic Information Center collection includes materials to encourage and assist community participation in democratic decision-making.
Environmental impact reports (EIRs) on projects and concerns of interest to the community, draft planning documents, and other publications produced by local, regional, state and federal government agencies for public review are acquired and cataloged as they become available. Current agendas, agenda packets, and minutes of the Monterey City Council, City of Monterey Boards and Commissions, selected Monterey County and regional bodies, and City of Monterey neighborhood associations may be included. Oversize plans, maps, exhibits, and other documents or displays for public review may be included based on available space and community interest. Civic Information Center materials which are no longer needed for public review may be discarded or transferred to the Local History Collection based on section X.D.1.b.x. above.
DVD or videocassette recordings of Monterey City Council meetings are maintained for circulation while demand warrants and space permits. Duplicate noncirculating DVDs are retained in the Local History Collection. Official audio and/or video recordings of other public meetings may be provided based on community interest. Available audio versions of ballot pamphlets and other official or nonpartisan voter information are provided for circulation prior to elections.
Private recordings of public meetings may be selected based on the following criteria:
- There is significant community interest in the issue or event.
- The meeting was sponsored by a government agency or nonpartisan nonprofit organization to present diverse viewpoints.
- The content includes a balanced presentation of viewpoints.
- The recording is complete, unedited, and produced in a manner which does not favor particular speakers or viewpoints.
- The format and technical quality of the recording are acceptable.
- Nothing has been added to the recording or packaging to present a particular perspective on the issues discussed.
- The packaging and accompanying information presents a complete, accurate description of the contents.
Private audio or video recordings will usually be briefly cataloged and retained only while the content is of current community interest. Deselected recordings may be considered for the Local History Collection
The Civic Information Center may also house voter registration forms, ballot pamphlets, and related materials for free distribution. Civic Information Center Web pages include links to nonpartisan Internet government and public policy resources. The Library Director may establish policies and procedures for the selection of materials for free distribution and Web links. Materials for free distribution and linked Web pages are not part of the Library collection and their selection is not governed by this policy.
4. Electronic Resources [General interest level]
An electronic resource is considered part of the Library collection if it is acquired using funds from the Collection Development budget or it is included in the Library catalog. The collection may include Web-based databases and other reference sources, electronic books, digital audiobooks, serials, and other text, audio, visual, or multimedia digital resources. Collections of electronic documents, such as full-text or image magazine and newspaper databases or groups of electronic books provided by a single vendor, may be included without selection of individual titles.
Except for unique local collections, locally mounted resources in CD-ROM or other formats are not acquired unless similar information is not available through the Internet at an acceptable cost, and community needs or customer demand justifies the necessary expenditures for hardware, software, and staff.
Library Web pages include links to free Internet resources and services selected to meet community information needs and to supplement the Library collection. Some library catalog records for books and other materials include links to supplementary descriptive or related information. The Library Director may establish policies and procedures for selection of these linked Web pages. These Web pages are not part of the Library collection and their selection is not governed by this policy.
The following criteria are considered in evaluating all electronic resources:
- Community needs and customer requests.
- Standards in this policy for selection of similar or equivalent materials in other formats.
- User-friendly interface.
- Appropriateness of the format and design for the content.
- Links to related resources.
- Compatibility with Library and/or customer hardware and software.
- Compatibility with Library network, security, and remote authentication requirements.
- Consistent accessibility using a stable Internet address provided by a reliable organization.
- Availability to customers outside the library.
- Past vendor performance and reputation.
- Training and documentation.
- Customization options.
- Staff time required for installation, upgrades, maintenance, and customer assistance.
- Pricing options.
- Legal or technical access and usage restrictions.
- Availability of usage statistics.
a. Electronic reference sources.
Subscription databases and other electronic reference sources may provide more complete or current information than print alternatives, enhanced search, linking, and user customization options, remote access, and more efficient use of Library space or funds. These resources should meet the selection criteria in the Adult and Youth Reference section of this policy, and should include flexible, intuitive search capabilities and frequent updates when timeliness is important. Electronic resources for youth should offer topics of special interest to children and/or teens, information useful in answering homework questions, and an attractive, easy-to-read display. Electronic indexes without full-text or image documents should be purchased only if indexed titles are found in the Library collection and there is significant, long-term demand for the contents of these titles.
b. Electronic books and other resources
Electronic resources including text and/or audio electronic books, serials, Web sites, and other documents in standard digital formats may be acquired to meet a wide variety of community needs and interests based on the selection criteria and priorities in other sections of this policy. Resources selected for the Library collection are included in the Library catalog, except on a trial basis when rapid acquisition is a high priority and catalog records are not available. Selected electronic resources may also be accessible directly from Library and/or vendor Web sites.
