Articles

From Profile to Policy: A Minnesota Historical Society Case Study in Collection Development

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Abstract

Making "order out of chaos"-the skill often attributed to the processors of the archival world-may have broader applicability. The Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) is typical of midwestern state historical societies in having collected manuscripts in a less-than-systematic fashion for more than a century. Although charged with documenting the wide and varied aspects of the state's history, the manuscripts holdings were generally developed through acceptance of what was presented or through the particular interest of manuscripts curators and other staff members. In an era of funding cuts and diminishing resources, the need to collect selectively is heightened. We sought to make these situations manageable and to give increased direction to collecting.

How to Cite:

Thompson, G., (1983) “From Profile to Policy: A Minnesota Historical Society Case Study in Collection Development”, Archival Issues 8(2), 29–39. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/archivalissues.8190