Collection Acquisition and Management Policy for the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives

Working in conjunction with the Social Historian for the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese American Archives (FMPAA), the Archivist for the FMPAA will evaluate and facilitate the acquisition of materials reflecting the culture and history of the Portuguese in the United States, as outlined in the collecting policy for the FMPAA. 

The FMPAA Archivist is encouraged to work with members of the community to identify and facilitate donation and purchase of collections.  The FMPAA Archivist will also rely on the expertise and community connections of the members of the Executive Board of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, its Executive Director, and the Social Historian for the FMPAA to identify and help negotiate the purchase and donation of appropriate collections.  To maintain consistency in collecting and to insure that the collection development policy is followed, the Division Head of Archives and Special Collections gives final approval on all acquisitions.  

Individual purchases in excess of one thousand dollars ($1000.00) must be approved by the Social Historian for the FMPAA, the Dean of Library Services, the Division Head of Archives and Special Collections, and the Archivist for the FMPAA.

All materials acquired by the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese American Archives become the property of the Claire T. Carney Library, which is responsible for maintaining their integrity in a secure, climate-controlled storage facility, through deed of gift or purchase agreement.

Once materials are accessioned, the FMPAA Archivist will be responsible for acknowledging donations, processing payment on purchases, and maintaining records related to the accession, appraisal, donation, purchase or legal transfer of said materials.  He/she will also be responsible for cataloguing the materials, providing for proper storage in the Claire T. Carney Library Archives and Special Collections, and providing appropriate access.

Monographs and serials

The Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives are essentially a paper-based collection of historical materials documenting the Portuguese-American community.  For an outline of types of materials accepted please see the “Vision Statement and Collecting Policy”. The FMPAA will accept appropriate rare books, newspapers and serials that meet the following criteria:

Monographs that are fifty years old or older; that are the product of a special printing and are available on a very limited basis; that are signed by the author or inscribed by another individual in a meaningful way; that are first editions by an important author; or that are of great value due to their craftsmanship or scarcity.  Individual monographs and serials of exceptional importance as reference tools for the study of the history of the Portuguese-American community, as well as the history of the Portuguese-speaking world if deemed appropriate by Archivist and Social Historian for the FMPAA.  Libraries of monographs that are not exclusively rare books will not be accepted by the FMPAA.   Potential monograph acquisitions will be reviewed by the Acquisitions Librarian of the Claire T. Carney Library.

Newspapers and serials should be accepted if they are: of artefactual value, form a subject collection if grouped in a way not easily duplicated by other means (scrapbooks, for example), are of research value in their original form or they are the only known original copies available.

Long-term loans

Loans will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Archivist for the FMPAA in consultation with the Social Historian and the Division Head of the Archives and Special Collections.  Factors to consider in accepting long-term loans are the importance of the individual items in the context of Portuguese-American history or culture, their research value, the staff time required to process and handle them, and the potential for their acquisition in the future. 

Surrogates (digital copies and photocopies)

To insure the long-term viability of the FMPAA, acquisition of original documents is preferable to the acquisition of surrogates. However, the Archivist for the FMPAA, in consultation with the Social Historian and the Division Head of Archives and Special Collections, shall determine the acceptance of surrogates based on their historical and research importance and availability of the originals, while considering issues of copyright ownership.

(Approved 3/15/2016 LAC)