Intentionally assembled collections contain materials acquired from multiple sources, grouped together either by a previous collector or by the library itself, according to criteria other than provenance (perhaps person, subject, form, or physical characteristic). Such collections are usually closed (i.e. no additions are anticipated), but in exceptional cases are ongoing. A variety of strategies are used in processing collections. Provenance for individual items is tracked through the use of accession labels on individual folders and/or in provenance notes at the appropriate level in the finding aid. In some cases material can be grouped by provenance into series-like components.
Collector’s Collections
The provenantial integrity of intentionally-assembled collectors’ collections is preserved. Conventions for naming a collector’s collection have varied over the years, and to some extent continue to be influenced by a collector’s wishes. For detailed guidance on current standards for assigning titles to collectors’ collections, consult the Beinecke MARC cataloging manual guidelines for the 245 (Title) field and Section 2.3 (Title) of DACS. As a general rule, the title takes the form: “[Collector’s name] Collection of [Person/Format collected].” Examples include the Richard L. Purdy Collection of Thomas Hardy and the Henry Raup Wagner Collection of Mexican Manuscripts.
Generic manuscript collections are listed as in the following example: Herman W. Liebert Manuscript Collection. Although collectors’ collections often are referred to informally (e.g., Purdy-Hardy Collection), the official form of the name should always be used in finding aids and catalog records.
Collections Assembled by the Library
Certain collections are assembled by the library in order to group together single items and small groups of papers by or pertaining to an individual or subject. Materials were acquired by the library over time from various sources, and the library has decided not to catalog the individual accessions as separate units. Occasionally, the library intentionally assembles a collection around a special genre or format (e.g. Western TV scripts; English 18th-century poetry).
Examples of library designated artificial collections include: