Local History Collection Policy

1. Policy

1.01 The Fort Erie Public Library will maintain a local history collection in an identifiable place, separate from other collections and functions. It should be in an area secure from theft and with proper provision for monitoring use of materials. An environment conducive to the use and preservation of rare and fragile materials is desirable. The local history collection provides a unique service to both residents of Fort Erie and to those outside the community. The collection is used most often to:

• Supply general knowledge of the history of Fort Erie
• Supply information on specific topics related to Fort Erie
• Aid in genealogical and historical research
• Assist with school projects

1.02 The objective of the Fort Erie Public Library Local History Collection is to acquire, collect, preserve and make accessible for research a collection of documents and other material related to the history and current status of the people and institutions of greater Fort Erie. Also of special interest is Fort Erie’s place within the Niagara Peninsula, on the Niagara Frontier, and on both the Niagara River and Lake Erie.

1.03 Items such as local newspaper articles, cemetery records, birth and death announcements may not be available elsewhere. In the Library’s role as a provider of community information, it is important that the Library collect, preserve and make available materials which are relevant to area residents, especially as a great deal of this material is not available in any other form or in any other institution.

1.04 All local history materials to which the Library holds legal rights will be digitized whenever possible, through the use of in-house resources. All digitization will be conducted systematically, and digitized materials including photos will be indexed and tagged for searching purposes. The original materials will be retained, while the digital items will be available electronically to patrons within, and possibly outside of the Library.

1.04.1.1 Gifts and donations will be accepted and added to the collection in accordance with the Library’s donation policy.

2. Public Access

2.01 While the primary purpose of the Local History Collection is to allow the public to use the material, the security of the collection is also an important consideration since the materials are often unique and impossible to replace. To ensure protection of the collection, local history materials may be used in the Library only and do not circulate. Loans of the material for display or any other similar purpose will be made only with the approval of the Public Services Coordinator and/or the CEO and will require appropriate documentation.

2.02 Access to the electronic local history database and the material contained in the database is not restricted and can be accessed through any of the Library’s public internet access stations or remotely at any time through the Library’s website.

2.03 The Local History Collection now contains online databases that can be accessed remotely through the FEPL website. The size number and extent of these databases will increase over time as more materials are digitized. These databases now provide better access to the items in the Local History Collection and provide a backup in case items are lost or damaged. Digitization of the information in the collection allows users to examine “copies” of the original material and acquire printed copies of information as needed. The standard copyright regulations are applied to items in the local history collection, whether in hard copy or digitized format.

3. Collection Profile

3.01 The Local History Collection contains and collects a variety of information sources in various formats:

3.01.1 Printed Books

• Works by local authors, local publishers and works set in the area
• Monographs on a variety of topics of local interest
• Business, telephone and street directories
• Genealogies
• High School yearbooks

3.01.2 Newspapers

• Fort Erie Times on microform
• Ridgeway Herald

3.01.3 Maps

• Historical atlases
• Photocopies of historical maps
• Current political and topographical maps of the area
• Maps provided by the town showing roads, wards and zoning areas

3.01.4 Pictures and Photographs

• Local History slide collection
• Fort Erie Times Photo File
• Various framed pictures
• Pictures and photographs of local people, scenes and events

3.01.5 Public Records

• Census of Canada early local records (microfilm)

3.01.6 Files

• Newspaper clippings
• Pamphlets
• Other ephemera

3.01.7 Special Records

• Vital records card file
• Oral history collection
• Cemetery records
• Records of local cemeteries
• Ontario Genealogical Society records

3.01.8 Display Items

• Hugh Alexander accounts and letter book
• Other “mementos”

3.01.9 Louis McDermott Binders

• A collection of over 100 binders containing clippings, photos and other forms of information on the people, places, industry and institutions of Fort Erie.

3.01.10 Personal and Family Manuscripts

• Includes letters, diaries, personal papers
• Offers family records of individuals associated with the community

3.01.11 Local History Database

• An ongoing project to preserve and digitize key images and documents from the local history collection and organize these pages in an electronic database accessible through the library’s website.

3.01.12 Current Size of the Collection

3.01.11 Local History Database

• An ongoing project to preserve and digitize key images and documents from the local history collection and organize these pages in an electronic database accessible through the library’s website.

3.01.13 Growth Rate: Books

• Monographs – only a few added per year
• Directories – one only of each directory
• A total of about one linear foot per year added in a typical year, but occasionally large multi volume reports can inflate the value

3.01.14 Growth Rate: Newspaper

• Fort Erie Times – a two inch thick stack of fiche added each year

3.01.15 Growth Rate: Other

• For everything else, there is currently a very low growth rate. However, with Local History almost nothing is ever discarded.