UCD School of History and Archives - University College Dublin

UCD School of History and Archives Library Information Resources Policy

Published on Friday, 17 June 2011

1

UCD Library / UCD School of History & Archives: Information Resources Policy

UCD School of History & Archives Library Information Resources Policy Contents

Page Number

Introduction

3

Profile of the School of History & Archives

3

Scope of History Collection

4

Library Budget

6

Selection of Resources

7

Relationships with other Schools, Colleges and Universities

11

Special Collections

12

Donations

13

Library Support for Resource Use

14

Stock Review

14

Future Considerations

14

Review of Policy

15

Contributors

15

Appendices

16

2


UCD School of History & Archives Liaison Librarian: Tony Eklof 1.0 Introduction The Information Resources Policy for the UCD School of History & Archives is designed to facilitate successful partnership between UCD Library and the School in the selection, management and promotion of information resources supporting the teaching and research interests of the School.

1.1 Application This policy will inform School and Library decision-making in recommending items for purchase or de-selection. The identification and implementation of key procedures and mechanisms will enable constructive review of existing resources as well as the selection of new resources targeted at areas of strategic growth in School teaching, learning and research.

1.2 Audience The policy is aimed at academic and research staff from the UCD School of History & Archives and relevant staff from UCD Library.

1.3 Policy Summary This policy outlines procedures for selection, de-selection and purchase of resources. Information on the HEA-IReL initiative is provided and the range of resources, as well as the scope of the collections, available to members of the School is described. Interdisciplinary relationships between the UCD School of History & Archives and related schools are identified and library support for resource use to promote teaching and learning opportunities are outlined. Details of the Library budget are itemised and future trends which may impact on resource provision are included. The policy will be reviewed regularly by School staff and the Liaison Librarian.

2.0 Profile of the UCD School of History & Archives With 27 permanent historians, 6 archivists, 2 visiting and 3 adjunct professors, assisted by 2 administrators, the School of History and Archives offers the broadest range of research and teaching expertise and resources in the state. The School is unique in having the largest and most-significant non-state repository in the country, principally devoted to twentieth century Irish history.

3


The Micheál O Clérigh Institute has been instrumental in bringing key documents in the early modern history of Ireland to the university, notably the Annals of the Four Masters. The Micheál O Clérigh Institute, the Centre for the History of Medicine, the Irish States Project and the War Studies Centre, all host post-doctoral research fellowships, as well as research seminars and conferences. The School also offers the only internationally recognised diploma in archivistics in the country.

2.1 Other Users Courses offered by the School have among the highest levels of uptake in the university at undergraduate (both in the College of Arts and beyond), graduate and international levels. The School also contributes to the Irish Studies Programme. We have the largest cohort of graduate students at MA and PhD levels in the College.

3.0 Scope The scope of the collection of resources will reflect the School’s teaching and research activities and resource management will be facilitated by the relationship between the School and the Liaison Librarian.

3.1 Subject Coverage Course offerings and staff research interests can be found on the School’s website at www.ucd.ie/ The School’s major research strengths are expressed under four major research themes: 

identity and conflict;



communication and textual culture;



religion, ideology and society; health,



welfare and public policy.

They incorporate the research interests of the Micheál O Clérigh Institute, the Centre for the History of Medicine, the Irish States Project, the War Studies and Media History Centres. The School has developed significant expertise in the application of digital humanities to the study of history, notably in the field of early modern history (history of the book, and the Irish Wild Geese project). The School is a key driver in UCD’s digital humanities strategy; our respositories contribute up to 40 percent of the content on the IRVLA.

4


3.2 Location The majority of physical history resources are located on Level 2 of the James Joyce Library. A large number of the most popular history books are held in the Short Loan Collection (SLC) on the ground floor of the James Joyce Library. A number of pamphlets with relevance to history are held in the James Joyce Library Store. Other UCD library branches also contain small collections of history material, for example, resources relevant to the history of medicine may be located in the Health Sciences Library. All UCD students and staff in possession of a valid student or staff card can access and borrow from any of these branch libraries.

3.3 Classification UCD Library uses the Dewey Decimal Classification system to catalogue and classify material in all formats. The primary classification range for history is 900-999. Some materials of relevance to history are shelved at different shelf marks.

3.4 Chronology Resources currently include material from the early medieval to the modern era. They include both printed primary sources for medieval Europe and Ireland, press and pamphlet literature for late 18th and 19th century France, as well as secondary sources.

3.5 Geographical The holdings are richest in Irish history, reflecting the library’s status as a legal deposit centre. However, an attempt has been made to cover other areas, notably Europe (France, Britain, Italy, Russia), America, and Australia. Visiting professors and their embassies (including those of the US, Australia, Austria Canada, and Japan) have assisted in the development of the collections in these fields by their generous donations.

3.6 Dissertations and theses In accordance with university regulations, the Library receives copies of all major doctoral and research theses submitted to University College Dublin. The collection comprises mainly doctoral and Master's theses by research. For more information, see the Library website at http://www.ucd.ie/library/finding_information/our_collections/theses/

3.7 History Reference Resources The reference collection for the School provides both print and electronic resources and reflects the Library’s policy requirement (UCD Library Information Resources Information

5


Policy section 3.2.1) “to increasingly make information resources (notably…reference materials) available electronically”. The history reference section is located on Level 2 of the James Joyce Library, and contains dictionaries, encyclopedias, as well as other materials. A particularly valuable reference work is the new Dictionary of Irish Biography and the Library has both hardcopy and electronic versions.

3.7.1 The Medieval Studies Library. The Medieval Studies Library, a valuable research resource, is located in a closed access area, on Level 3 of the James Joyce Library. This Library represents the private collections of major medieval scholars including Fr. Tom Dunning, his brother Fr. Patrick Dunning, Denis Bethell, and Fr. M.B.(Bertie) Crowe. An Author and Title printed catalogue of the collection is available. Contact the Liaison Librarian for access to this Library.

3.7.2 Historical Source Material (HSM) This reference only collection represents an invaluable resource for history researchers, and has publications from the Irish Manuscripts Commission, the Great Britain Public Record Office and other publishers. Examples of materials held in the HSM area are the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, the Calendar of State PapersIreland, English Historical Documents, and Documents on British Foreign Policy. HSM material published pre-1850 is held in UCD Library Special Collections on Level 1.

3.8 Legal Deposit The Copyright Act 1963 designates UCD Library as a legal deposit library for printed material published in the Republic of Ireland. These items are integrated into the relevant Library’s collections wherever possible or stored in closed access.

4.0 Budget A resource allocation model (RAM) divides library funding among the schools and across funds to maximize the purchase of targeted items to support both research and teaching. The fund designation for the School of History and Archives is currently as follows: 

A reading list fund: to purchase items on reading and resource lists for modules across UCD

6




A research monograph fund: to purchase monographs required for research areas represented within the 5 Colleges of UCD



A general fund: to purchase items which are not represented by either the Research fund or the Reading List fund but which would materially enhance the teaching and research work of the school. Purchases may include electronic resources not requiring yearly subscriptions.

Other sources of funding: (a) A number of multi-disciplinary electronic resources are purchased via a top-sliced Library fund dedicated to the purchasing of items not tied to the teaching or research of one particular school (b)The Irish Research e-Library (IReL) funds a number of significant databases of relevance to the School, including... Payment for IReL funded resources does not come out of the School’s budget. (See also page 8 and Appendix 1 for a full listing of School of History relevant IReL resources). Further information on IReL is available on its website at http://www.irelibrary.ie

5.0 Selection of Resources School-Library Liaison Representative (SLLR): Dr. Judith Devlin

5.1 Partnership between School and Library The SLLR will work closely with the Liaison Librarian to co-ordinate library purchases across the School, in consultation with colleagues from the School of History & Archives . The purchase of materials in all formats will be based on a proactive partnership to ensure an up-to-date, balanced and representative collection.

5.2 Procedure for purchase Please see Appendix 2 for a diagram illustrating the book ordering process.

5.2.1 Items recommended for purchase should contain as much detail as possible including title, author, date, publisher and ISBN. Requests to support the School’s teaching and learning must specify the name of the academic concerned, module name, the estimated number of students taking the module, programme name and year of the programme.

7


5.2.2 Research material: Material required to support School research will be purchased when possible. Purchase requests will be based on the research interests of the School staff and on the professional expertise and knowledge of the Liaison Librarian.

5.2.3 Module and Programme support: The Library will continue to actively review its resources to ensure that modules and programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level are adequately supported and that the impact on library resources can be correctly assessed. To ensure the timely purchase of resources, the Liaison Librarian will need to be informed as soon as possible about the following: 

The introduction of new modules



Any modification to existing modules



The introduction of new programmes



Current modules on offer in each programme for the new academic year



The introduction of new methods of teaching (e.g. Enquiry-Based Learning)

The Liaison Librarian monitors usage of the collection and will order replacement/extra copies of items due to: 

Damage



Loss or theft



Multiple requests for an item over a short period of time



User need based on information received from Information Desk, Library



Suggestion Books and online queries

5.2.4 Reading list items Reading lists will be given to the Liaison Librarian prior to the start of each semester, using the agreed procedures for collection of module reading lists. Where possible, items on reading lists will be purchased and placed in the most appropriate collection area (General collection or long loan, Week loan, or Short Loan Collection), depending on class size and numbers of copies. For items that are difficult to source or quite expensive, the “4Here” Collection, formerly called the Reserve Collection (i.e. Library use only) will be used. Items will be moved between collections, as required, to facilitate maximum use of resources by users.

8


The average turn-around time for ordered items to appear in the Library is 4-6 weeks. The Liaison Librarian will also facilitate the purchase of urgent items when necessary. Requests for reading list items should be made in a timely fashion to ensure that items are available to users once the semester begins. At present, there are some financial constraints in the library budget as a result of university cutbacks and the wider national economic situation. The School will be kept informed of the library’s financial situation and included in the strategies used to purchase and maintain resources.

5.2.5 Multimedia materials: Based on School requests and in support of the UCD Library’s Information Resources Policy (section 5.1), the Liaison Librarian will facilitate the purchase of relevant multi media material and this currently includes the purchase of DVDs.

5.2.6 Electronic Resources As identified in UCD Library’s Information Resources policy, it is Library strategy to move towards electronic information provision where possible. The Liaison Librarian and academics in the School of History & Archives will continue to identify relevant electronic databases which support the work of the school. Most library electronic material is available both on and off campus via Findit @ UCD Library. 

Individual databases and electronic journals are accessible in an A-Z listing via Findit by selecting the Database and Journals tabs.



Electronic material is also available via the “My Library” tab in UCD Connect.

5.2.7 Irish Research e-Library (IReL) UCD Library users have benefitted from the availability of electronic resources provided by the IReL initiative, a joint funding initiative by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to substantially increase the range of resources available to Irish university libraries. These IReL funded resources are reviewed regularly, and subscriptions are based on a “value for money” model – using usage statistics as a measure of “value”. Ongoing promotion of these resources to students and staff, by both the School of History & Archives and UCD Library is therefore required to maximize usage and so ensure, where possible, continual funding of these resources by IReL.

9


Databases, of particular relevance to School of History & Archives, funded by IReL ACLS Humanities E-Book Academic Search Premier Arts & Humanities Citation Index International Medieval Bibliography Cambridge Journals Online Historical Abstracts JSTOR Oxford Reference Online Project Muse

A complete list of IReL funded resources can be found at: http://www.irelibrary.ie/resources.aspx?g=HSS Appendix 1 also lists multi-disciplinary resources funded by IReL that may also be of benefit to the School of History and Archives.

5.2.8 Journals: To ensure that journal titles to which the School subscribes reflect current teaching and research interests, print and electronic subscriptions will be reviewed as required, but at a minimum of every five years. Interdisciplinary resources, of interest to the School, accessible via IReL or funded by other Schools may not be cancelled by the School of History & Archives. The review process will be a collaborative endeavour between the Liaison Librarian and the School representative and will consider:

10



Current holdings



School teaching and research interests



Impact factors



Online availability



Cost



Savings


Requests for purchase will mirror the review criteria above. When suggesting a journal title for purchase, please provide the Liaison Librarian with the journal name, subject matter and intended audience. In keeping with Library policy (Information Resources Policy, 3.2 and 3.3), new titles are purchased in electronic format where possible.

6. 0 Relationships with other Schools, Colleges and Universities 6.1 Internal: The School collaborates with the Humanities Institute of Ireland, the Clinton Institute, the Global Irish Institute in joint research initiatives and with the College of Arts Research strand on Death and Culture, as well as contributing to the interdisciplinary Irish Studies programme. The Library provides subject and liaison support for a range of subjects of relevance to the School of History and Archives including:Archaeology, Irish, English and Film Studies, Politics, Sociology, Classics, Art History, Modern Languages, Music, Philosophy and Law. The School has the largest cohort of graduate students and post-doctoral research fellows in the College of Arts, as well as several Research Centres. Of special interst to the Centre for the History of Medicine is the development of the Special Collections holdings of the former College of Science.The School and Library will seek to ensure that research resources have sufficient breadth and depth to meet their requirements.

6.2 External. The School collaborates with a number of national and international centres of learning. Among these are: 

the Centre for the History of Medicine’s joint projects with the Universities of Ulster, Warwick and Maastricht;



the Centre for the History of the Media with the University of St Andrews on the history of the book;



the O’Clerigh Institute with the University of Louvain.

In addition, the School seeks to enhance its wider social impact through such initiatives as Professor D. Ferriter’s recent series of programmes on modern Irish history broadcast by RTE. 11


7.0 Special Collections Special Collections contains items inherited by UCD’s antecedent institutions, the Catholic University of Ireland, Royal University of Ireland and the Royal College of Science for Ireland. Much of the material inherited from these institutions is historical in nature. UCD Library also inherited the manuscript collections of the Catholic University of Ireland and the map collections of the antecedent institutions.. In addition to this material it holds various named collections which were purchased from, or donated by individuals. Some of these collections contain material of an historical nature.

Link to the History section in Special Collections: http://www.ucd.ie/library/finding_information/special/subject_support/history/ Special Collections contains: 

Printed books published before 1851.



Printed pamphlets published before 1948



Named collections spanning17th -20th centuries



Manuscript collections



Maps – 16th 20th century



Parliamentary Journals and Statutes from from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Subjects covered include:

12



Irish military history



Cromwellian Ireland



Irish opposition to the Act of Union



French revolution



19th century Irish Social history



History of Medicine in Ireland



History of the book



Irish print history



Crime in Ireland



Revolution in Ireland – 1916 - 22



History of Dublin



Local history from all Irish counties



19th century tours of Ireland



Irish labour history



Legal history - 17-19th centuries



Irish folklore


Named collections useful for history: 

O’Kelley – General Irish history, local history, Irish print history



Patrick Power – Rare editions relating to catholic ireland and general Irish history 16th -19th centuries



Thomas Johnson –Political pamphlets, mainly late 19th-early 20th relating to labour and socialist politics in Ireland, conscription and civil war.



Christopher Palles - Books and journals of a legal nature covering the period from the 17th to the early 20th century. It is most useful for the study of Irish legal history for this period.

Parliamentary Journals and Statutes, 17th and 18th centuries: Journals of the House of Commons of the Kingdom of Ireland, (series 1 ,2 ,3 & 4), the Journals of the House of Lords of the Kingdom of Ireland and the Statutes at Large.

7.1 UCD Archives contains and preserves papers and manuscripts of national significance and is of particular interest to research in modern Irish history. For example, it contains the papers of Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, Garrett FitzGerald and Eoin MacNeill. It includes material of key interest to medieval and early modern Irish historians, notably the Annals of the Four Masters. Library resources are required to underpin these endeavours.

7.2 Irish Virtual Research Library and Archive (IVRLA) IRVLA facilitates access to material through the ongoing digitisation of key elements of UCD’s Special Collections. Items of interest to the School include the De Valera and Collins’ papers. The School is a key driver in UCD’s digital humanities strategy; our respositories contribute up to 40 percent of the content on the IRVLA.

8.0 Donations The School of History and Archives has actively supported UCD Library in its collection development by donating new and relevant books. The Australian and Canadian embassies in Ireland have both generously supported the development of the history collection. The following donations of material are welcome:

13




Books / book collections to supplement and/or augment holdings in the General Collection.



Rare books, signed books and first editions to strengthen Special Collection holdings

The Library will manage the donated material as appropriate and as reflected in the UCD Library’s Donations policy.

9.0 Library Support for resource use The Library is committed to supporting the promotion and use of all information resources. To this end, the Liaison Librarian will continue to work with library colleagues and academics including the Special Collections Librarian, to maximise exploitation of key historical sources using accepted international frameworks for information skills delivery to support undergraduate teaching, academic research and postgraduate studies. The Liaison Librarian will continue to highlight relevant free sources available electronically, such as the European Library with its permanent Napoleonic Wars exhibition and CELT the free digital humanities resource for Irish history. The Library will work with the School to: 

Identify the level and detail of training required



Identify a suitable place within the timetable to deliver training at point of need



Identify the most suitable delivery mechanism



Evaluate the training’s impact on assignment quality via assessment

10.0 Stock Review In line with UCD Library policy (section 12.2 of the Information Resources Development Policy), print resources are reviewed regularly to ensure currency and relevance. As a result, decisions will be made in conjunction with the School regarding the permanent disposal of items, as well as the removal of items from the open shelves to closed storage.

11.0 Future Considerations The Library is committed to aligning the provision of information resources to the strategic priorities of the School. Identification of best practice will facilitate effective resource management to support the teaching and research of the School. Issues impacting on current planning include:

14



Future trends in historical research



The development of inter-disciplinary and thematic research




The development of new programmes.



The provision of lifelong learning and information skills to library users

12.0 Review of Policy This policy is intended to be an active document designed to help with information resource development and assessment in support of School teaching and research priorities. The Head of School (or the designated School of History and Archives liaison person) and the liaison librarian will review this document on an ongoing basis to ensure its relevance to School interests. The liaison librarian (Tony Eklof [email protected]) welcomes comments and suggestions regarding the evolution of this policy Policy created: August/September, 2010

13.0 Contributors UCD School of History & Archives

UCD Library

Dr. Judith Devlin

Tony Eklof, Liaison Librarian

Professor Edward James (Head of

Evelyn Flanagan, Special Collections

School) Dr. Lindsey Earner-Byrne

Librarian Ursula Byrne, Head of Academic Library Services for Humanities, Social Sciences and Business & Law

15


Appendices Appendix 1 IReL Resources of Interest to the School of History & Archives (see also section 5.2.7) HeinOnline Legal research database, specialising in long out-of-print legal material. Hein’s “Law Journal Library” includes more than 1,200 law and law-related periodicals.

Index to Theses Indexes theses accepted for higher degrees by the Universities of Great Britain and Ireland. Abstracts of PhD theses are included from 1970 onwards. Time span: theses accepted since 1716

Irish Newspapers Archive The world's largest online database of Irish newspapers from which it is possible to search, retrieve and view Ireland's past in the exact format it was published. Contains many of Ireland's most prominent regional, daily and out of print titles.

Irish Times Digital Archive A fully searchable digital archive containing every page of The Irish Times published since the newspaper's foundation 1859-2009

Justis Justis Publishing Ltd is an independent publisher of electronic legal information, concentrating in particular on United Kingdom and European Union legal, official and business information. Includes the “Irish Reports” law publication.

Lexis Library Legal database featuring case law, legislation, and journal articles from the UK, US and other jurisdictions. Includes Irish reported and unreported case law.

Making of Modern Law Thomson Gale has digitized two entire treatise collections to create The Making of Modern Law (MOML). The content reflects primary documents contained within Primary Source Microfilm's Nineteenth Century Legal Treatises and Twentieth Century Legal Treatises collections. MOML gives access to 10.6 million pages of legal history relating to American and British Commonwealth law between the years 1900 to 1926 and is the world's most comprehensive full-text collection or rare Anglo-American legal treatises anywhere 16

UCD Library / UCD School of Law: Information Resources Policy

Nexis UK Global news and business information service with over 20,000 sources of authoritative news, company, financial and market research data. Contains full text of the best known newspapers in the world, and over 50 Irish national and regional newspapers, including the Irish Times, Irish Independent and Sunday Business Post.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography A collection of 55,000 specially written biographies, which describe the lives of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond

Oxford English Dictionary The accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium

Oxford Journals Online Provides full text access to Oxford University Press titles. Time span: 1996-.

PsycInfo. An abstract database of psychological literature from the 1800s to the present

Proquest Dissertations and Theses Providing details of over two million doctoral and master's theses, this is the single, central and authoritative resource for North American theses. Covers works from 99 percent of US institutions in addition to thousands of international titles. Includes significant, though patchy, European content. Coverage: 1861 to present. Includes detailed abstracts for doctoral theses 1980 onwards and for masters 1988 onwards.

Sage Premier Sage journals online includes over 400 journals in the fields of business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine

Science Direct Social science, science, technology and medicine - including veterinary medicine. Full text access for UCD starts from 1995.

Springer link The premier electronic data source from Springer for researchers in biomedicine, life science, clinical medicine, physics, engineering, mathematics, computer science, humanities, and economics. Now also contains all former Kluwer Academic journals. Time span: 1840 –

17


Taylor and Francis Multidisciplinary resource. Coverage includes the humanities, biosciences, business, environmental sciences, pure and applied science and technology, social science, urban planning, psychology and law. Time span: 1997-

Web of Knowledge Web of Knowledge from ISI provides access to several products including: Web of Science, ISI Proceedings, Journal Citation Reports, and Essential Science Indicators

Westlaw IE Irish legal materials database; contains Irish reported and unreported case law, consolidated/annotated legislation, and legal journals, including “Commercial Law Practitioner”, “Irish Employment Law Journal”, and “Irish Law Times

Westlaw UK Law of the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and other jurisdictions. Includes journal articles, case law and legislation. Includes CELEX database of EU legislation and case law

18


Appendix 2 Book Ordering Process

Contact details? Or date of creation?

13/09/2011

Document title

Guide #

Page | 20