[BCMA] Looking for advice: private library collection donations

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

Good morning BCMA colleagues,

Sidney Museum has for a while now been tasked with processing a large
collection of books, donated several years ago by a single donor that was
evidently their personal library collection.

We now need to decide how we want to approach dealing with this
collection,which consists of at least ten bankers' boxes filled with books
ranging from Canadian history to old Sears' sales catalogues. We don't have
an abundance of available storage space, either in our museum or
archives collections rooms. What's more, many of the books have no direct
connection with our collecting mandate in and around the Saanich Peninsula.
So, as per our Collections Policy, we don't have a concrete justification
to accession them even if we did have ample room.

There are some misgivings among our collections personnel on breaking up
the collection (i.e. accessioning those that are relevant, and transferring
the rest) vs. accessioning it all and then reviewing later.

If anyone has run into a similar challenge and found a workable solution, I
would love to hear from you!

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Michael Goodchild

-- 
Michael Goodchild, BA, MMST.
Executive Director,
Sidney Museum & Archives
He/His

*Address*: 2423 Beacon Ave L-3, Sidney, BC V8L 1X5
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*Tel*: 250-655-6355
*Mobile*: 1-403-585-7938
*Email*: director at sidneymuseum.ca
*Web*: https://sidneymuseum.ca/

*We respectfully acknowledge the Sidney Museum & Archives has been shaped
by the colonial history of Canada, and is located in Sidney/SETINES on the
traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ People, including the **BOḰEĆEN
(Pauquachin), SȾÁ,UTW̱ (Tsawout), MÁLEXEŁ (Malahat), W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip)
and W̱SÍḴEM (Tseycum) Firs*t Nations.* We understand that territory
acknowledgment is just one part of Reconciliation, and the museum continues
to work towards other ways that we can participate in Reconciliation
alongside Indigenous communities.*
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