Salvation Army International Heritage Centre

							Salvation Army International Heritage Centre: Collection policy

The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre tells the story of The Salvation Army
from its origins in the 1860s to the present, by collecting, preserving, recording,
researching and making accessible material that provides an accurate and
comprehensive record of the life and work of the Movement.

The main focus of the IHC is to collect material which relates to the people and work
of the United Kingdom Territory and International Headquarters.
However, as an international centre we also hold material that represents in a
general context the work of The Salvation Army in all of its worldwide territories.

The IHC comprises a Library, Archive and Museum collection and collects the
following material:

Books and periodicals
Archives (including photographs and film)
Museum artefacts

The acquisition of material in these categories is directed by the International
Heritage Centre’s specific collection policies for the Library, Archive and Museum.
Acquisition will be through transfer and donation, and in exceptional circumstances,
loan.

All acquisitions will be by prior agreement. The IHC reserves the right to refuse ad hoc
transfers whatever the source.

LIBRARY

The Library at the Heritage Centre collects and holds the following material:
    Books and pamphlets published by The Salvation Army (in any language)
    Books and pamphlets written about The Salvation Army (in any language)
    Salvation Army publications and periodicals published in the UK
    Overseas periodicals, if the country which publishes them does not keep them
    Dissertations
    Published journal articles relating to the Salvation Army, in any format
    Research material about Salvation Army subjects, in electronic format only

We do not collect:
Overseas periodicals, if the country which publishes them retains copies
Local corps newsletters

Policy on duplicates
A single copy only of periodicals and library books will be kept in the main collection.
One duplicate set of all periodicals will be kept in separate storage as a spare set.
One duplicate copy of all library books from the main collection published up until
1950 will be kept in separate storage as a spare set.
All other duplicates – i.e. third copies of those kept, or books published after 1950 will
be disposed of. Wherever possible, these will be sent to other Salvation Army centres,
including those in overseas Territories.

ARCHIVES

The Archives of The Salvation Army at IHC are made up of paper and digital records,
photographs and film and are collected in view of two principles:
       To store for accountability and historical value the official records of the work
        of the organisation at IHQ and THQ

       To allow the International Heritage Centre to fulfil its mission of telling the
        ongoing story of The Salvation Army


All donations to the archive will be confirmed in writing by a depositor’s agreement
as appropriate signed by both parties.

Following deposit and during the cataloguing process the IHC will evaluate the
collection and identify any materials not required for permanent preservation.
Disposal will be arranged with the agreement of the depositor.

Material offered to the Archive will be considered on its archival information value
rather than its format or medium. The format of any acquired record is bound only by
the Archive’s professional duty of care, its responsibility to ensure adequate provision
for conservation, documentation, storage and access.

The International Heritage Centre reserves the right to refuse any item for the
collection which does not meet the criteria of the collection policy.

Full records of all acquisitions will be maintained.

Within these principles we accession the following material into our Archives:

Material relating to the Christian Mission (pre Salvation Army)

Formal Organisational Records of The Salvation Army
This includes all official records and papers which were created within The Salvation
Army and document the work of The Salvation Army from 1878 to the present day.
This includes records that document historic branches/functions of The Salvation Army
which no longer exist, and records of external Salvation Army work centres such as
social service centres.
In a more current context, these organisational records are appraised to have
accountability or historical value and transferred from any department at
International Headquarters and Territorial Headquarters

Divisional and Corps Records
These are formal records of the work of individual regional divisions within the UK
Territory.
We also collect individual corps records including Soldier’s Roll, Seekers Register,
Census Minute Book, Cartridge Book, Register of Dedications, Marriages and Funerals,
Young People’s Register, History Book, and Accident Record Book.

Officer Records
We collect personnel records that officially document the career of an officer within
The Salvation Army.

Overseas Work
We aim to document the work of The Salvation Army in overseas territories in a
general context. We therefore collect original archival material that directly illustrates
the work of an overseas territory; but ONLY if that territory is unable to keep the
archive material within the territory itself.
Personal Papers
We also collect personal paper collections of individuals who have a significant
association with the life and work of The Salvation Army.

We do not collect:
    Photocopies or duplicates of original material (unless they are appraised to be
      of particular special significance)
    Overseas Disposition of Forces

MUSEUM

The Museum collection at the International Heritage Centre supports the primary
function of documenting the ongoing story of The Salvation Army.

Artefacts are appraised on an individual basis by the director and curatorial staff,
and those that are accessioned into the collection are deemed to be:

       Directly related to the life and work of The Salvation Army
       Unique in their ability to directly convey an aspect of Salvation Army work or
        history
       Able to be stored effectively and preserved correctly within Heritage Centre
        resources

All donations to the Museum will be confirmed in writing by a depositor’s agreement
as appropriate signed by both parties.

The format and material of artefacts is varied and the collections include paintings,
prints, sculpture, china, textiles, medals & badges, flags and musical instruments.

We do not collect:
Flags (unless they are of special significance)
Duplicate items (unless they are appraised to be of particular special significance)
Items that due to their format or material, we will not be able to store and preserve
effectively

Finally, the International Heritage Centre reserves the right to refuse any item for the
Library, Archive and Museum collection which does not meet the criteria of the
collection policy.

Acquisitions outside the stated policy will only be made in exceptional circumstances
and only after proper consideration by the International Heritage Centre and its staff.


Guidelines for Disposal


    1. By definition, the IHC has a long-term purpose and should possess (or intend to
       acquire) permanent collections in relation to its stated objectives. The IHC
       accepts the principle that there is a strong presumption against the disposal
       of any items in its care.


   2.   An item will be considered suitable for disposal if:

       the item is a duplicate or copy of another item already owned by the IHC

       the item is outside the scope of the IHC Collection policy
   the item is in very poor condition, either through damage, deterioration or as
    the result of biological attack

3. When any item which has been accessioned into the collection is later
   decided as suitable for disposal, the depositor will be contacted and a
   decision about the method and conditions of disposal will be decided.
   Wherever possible, unsuitable items will be returned to the depositor.

4. Where an item has not been accessioned into the collection or deposit
   records do not exist, The IHC will establish that it is legally free to dispose of the
   item. Any decision to dispose of items from the collections will be taken only
   after due consideration. The IHC may dispose of any item by way of sale, gift,
   exchange or destruction.

5. Decisions to dispose of items will not be made with the principal aim of
   generating funds.
6. Any monies received by the IHC from the disposal of items will be applied for
   the benefit of the collections.
7. The decision to dispose of an item must be made by two members of IHC
   staff, one of which must be a senior member of staff. No decision to dispose of
   an item can be made by a member of staff acting alone.
8. Once a decision to dispose of an item in the collection has been taken,
   priority will be given to retaining it within the public domain, unless it is to be
   destroyed. The item will be offered to another museum, archive or institution if
   it is deemed they are likely to be interested in its acquisition.




                                                                     January 2009