A proposed collection development policy for the Malta Maritime Museum Library

Abstract

The scope of this research is to propose a Collection Development Policy (CDP) for the Malta Maritime Museum Library. Museum libraries play an important role in their respective institutions; however, they are often overshadowed by the greater visibility and accessibility museums enjoy. This can also be attested in the lack of knowledge about their existence amongst the general public, and in the scarcity of literature dedicated to them. To accomplish such a goal, a qualitative case study approach was adopted. This involved a content analysis of five collection development policies pertaining to five international maritime museum libraries. The purpose for utilizing existing CDPs was twofold; to make up for the lack of literature concerning the subject and to determine the most common elements tackled by a collection development policy especially created for a maritime museum library. Consequently, the study of the Malta Maritime Museum Library’s collection permitted the familiarization with this collection, through its organization and the formats it caters for. Additionally, it provided insights into the themes and strengths of the museum library. It also permitted the direct observation of the library and how it operated in its actual setting, providing invaluable insights, which otherwise would have been missed. Finally, three semi-structured interviews were carried out. Firstly, a former curator, who was also part of the team and who saw the inception of the Maritime Museum and its Library was interviewed. This provided the research with a context as to where the library started, its purpose and how it evolved. Afterwards, two interviews with the Archivist and the Senior Curator of the Maritime Museum gave insights on how the library is currently managed and the way forward. This research comes at a time when the Maritime Museum is undergoing a major renovation, not only structurally but also conceptually. The Library, as part of the Museum will also be affected by such transformation. This, coupled with the fact that the Library does not have a collection development policy made this research’s aim in providing such policy as ideal. Furthermore, thanks to the analysis based on the results deriving from the research methods described above, it permitted a policy directly applicable to the Maritime Museum Library, whilst also providing recommendations for further improvement both in the short and medium term. Implications emerging from the information gathered here shows that the Library was and is still considered an important asset for the Museum, at least in concept. However, it seems that with regards to resources, including but not limited to financial and human resources, it has to share the same budget of the Museum which impacts a lot of its acquisition powers, and which can potentially leave the library’s collection overshadowed by the needs of the Museum’s collection. This can also be seen in the lack of digital material, both born print and born digital this library possesses, which may affect its collection growth, preservation and which may result in limited accessibility. Furthermore, the lack of a librarian and a collection development policy hinders it from achieving its full potential.