While revising our collections policy for our musuem library and archive,
which serves as a local and family history library we have developed a
question involving the ethics of personal collecting by the staff.

The library may include in its collecting universe  works relating to
American material, intellectual  and popular culture and social history.
 Since such works are commonly found in our personal collections, (our
librarian is an active genealogist, I am actively researching American
agricultural history, and American architecture) how should we view the
development of our personal reference collections?  The museum, unlike
university libraries does not have the funds to aquire works to support our
researches.

It seems foolish that such collecting should be proscibed for such interests
are at the heart of our involvment in the field..  Yet AAM guidelines could
be read to say we are unethical.

Help!

Greg Koos
McLean County Historical Society
Bloomington Il
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