Digital Library Team Policies
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT TEAM POLICY
I. Purpose and Aims of the Collection
A. Purpose and Mission Statements
1. Purpose Statement
Wings Over Western New York: The Digital Collection of the Niagara Aerospace Museum is a resource for all those who are interested in the history of aviation and aerospace developments in Western New York. The majority of materials in the collection are digitized representations of objects owned by the Niagara Aerospace Museum in Niagara Falls, New York. Once headquarters to notable companies such as Curtiss, Consolidated Aircraft, and Bell, Western New York inventors and institutions made major contributions to flight technology, and are of interest not only to regional users, but to those interested in the aviation and aerospace history in general. By representing some of the Niagara Aerospace Museum's collection online, access to those objects is provided to people who can not or do not wish to visit the museum's physical location.
2. Niagara Aerospace Museum Mission Statement
Dedicated to the tens of thousands of Western New Yorkers who contributed so much to the world's aviation and space flight endeavors, the Museum is dedicated to preserving the memory and spirit of all aerospace workers and pioneers.
3. Wings over Western New York: The Digital Collection of the Niagara Aerospace Museum Mission Statement
Wings Over Western New York provides electronic access to the area’s contributions to aviation and aerospace history. Our mission is to educate users by providing information about the aviation and aerospace achievements that have come from the Western New York area.
B. Intended Audiences of the Library
By its nature online access ensures that users are from a host of backgrounds, with innumerable interests and varied reasons to examine the library. However, we do wish to define the primary users of the library.
1. Adult online users including researchers; individuals whose interests include aviation, aerospace, and regional history; general web surfers.
2. Schoolchildren and their teachers.
3. Niagara Aerospace Museum personnel.
II. Overview of the Collection
A. Description
Wings over Western New York: The Digital Collection of the Niagara Aerospace Museum, developed from the holdings of the Niagara Aerospace Museum, consists of images related to the history of aviation and aerospace in Western New York, although in the future, audio files, text files, video files and other material may be added. For the purposes of this collection, Western New York comprises eight counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming. Primary to the collection are materials generated by The Curtiss Aeroplane Company, Consolidated Aircraft, and Bell Aircraft, all of which were headquartered in Western New York. This collection is unique in scope, size, and historical and aesthetic value.
B. Selection Criteria
Materials are selected from the holdings of the Niagara Aerospace Museum as they fit with the mission and scope of the digital library. In order to be selected for the collection, the material must meet all standards set forth in the primary concerns. Selections are further narrowed by secondary concerns and tertiary concerns.
1. Primary Concerns
i) Was the item produced by or for a Western New York company or inventor?
ii) Can the item be accurately represented in a digital format?
iii) Has the copyright holder granted permission to use representations of the object?
2. Secondary Concerns
Does the item illuminate the history and/or provide contextual information to materials developed by or for a Western New York company or inventor?
3. Tertiary Concerns
i) Is the item an unnecessary duplication of another item already represented in the collection?
ii) Is the content accurate?
C. (Physical) Location
Though some representations of objects were created specifically for the Web page, all items in the collection are physically held at the Niagara Aerospace Museum.
III. Scope of the Collection
A. Geographic Areas Covered
This collection is primarily focused on aviation and aerospace in the eight counties of Western New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming. Since most of the physical collection is from this area, the digital library incorporates a large percentage of the Museum's collection in a digital format. There are also items that are primarily created for the digital collection and are not necessarily part of the Museum collection. Direct connections to Western New York automatically allow for consideration—for example, objects manufactured by Bell or Curtiss. Indirect connections are to be considered more closely to determine their importance in regards to Western New York. Objects included must also fit into the constraints of copyright protection.
B. Languages Covered
The language for this collection is English. This includes all metadata, links, and other information and instructions contained on the site. If there are non-English materials within the collection itself (documents, letters, etc.), they will be clearly labeled as such.
C. Chronological Periods/Dates of Coverage
Coverage includes dates from the beginning of flight (early planes and other related aviation items) to the modern era (jet planes, space age equipment). Artifacts and biographies will also be incorporated, from the early days to the present.
D. Formats
The formats in this collection vary depending on what already exists and the type of medium best suited to display the content. These could include images, text, audio, and video. To make this collection widely accessible, all media should be compatible with as many systems as possible, regardless of platform or browser used. Objects that require downloading should be of a reasonable size to enable their accessibility regardless of bandwidth.
1. Images
These include images captured by a digital camera or scanner. Some images are taken directly from the collection itself, while others are available already in a digitized format. Any images taken from the Museum's collection are represented as accurately and clearly as possible. These include images of planes, engines, people, artifacts or anything else which could reasonably have a connection to aviation and aerospace in Western New York. All images are in a readable .jpg format that is also small enough to protect copyright and enable efficient downloading. Larger files, such as .tiff formats, are used for storage purposes only, and are protected by copyright.
2. Text
Texts are added in through scanning or are directly created in a digital format. These include explanations of objects, aerospace and aviation facts, historical information, biographies, and any other writings that enhance the collection's focus. Documents are available in readable formats, including .html, .xml or .pdf formats. Again, these files are of a manageable size to enable users to easily download and read them.
3. Video
As with other parts of this collection, videos include anything from previously recorded footage (e.g., flight of the rocket pack) to footage developed specifically for this collection (e.g., rebuilding of the Jenny). Any motion footage is in an .MPEG or similar format.
IV. Acquisitions
Additions will be made to the digital collection in accordance with those made to the Niagara Aerospace Museum. If there is an addition made to the museum, then it must be subjected to the above outlined selection criteria to determine if it is to be included in the collection. The following list of items must also be consulted when considering a new addition to the collection:
A. Responsibility
During the construction of the digital collection, the responsibility is of the collection creators to handle all acquisitions. Upon completion of the digital collection, the responsibility then transfers to the museum staff.
B. Mission
Does the item fit within the mission, purpose and objectives of the digital collection?
C. Selection Criteria
Does the item fit the selection criteria as stated in Section II Part B of the policy?
D. Scope
Does the item fit within the defined scope of the collection as stated in Section III of the policy?
E. Copyright
Does the item meet all copyright and compliance standards as stated in the copyright policy?
V. Policy Review, Collection Evaluation, Assessment & Maintenance
A. Annual review of Collection Development Policy
This collection development policy is to be reviewed annually. The annual review is meant to provide the museum staff with an opportunity to address any issues which have arisen during the course of the year; specifically, issues that failed to be resolved by the current collection development policy. This collection development policy realizes the potential of future expansion by the museum, which could possibly results in changes being made to the current collection development policy, such as the additions of items that currently do not meet the stated selection criteria or fit within its stated scope. Future expansion is to be expected, not only within the physical museum, but also within the digital library.
B. Removal of Items
Items shall be removed (weeded) from the digital collection when:
1. When there is a proven violation of copyright.
2. When an item on loan is returned to the lending institution.
NOTE: The museum’s physical collection may have items that are on loan from other institutions. Items on loan will almost always remain in the physical collection and never become part of the digital library, but there may be exceptions. If the loaned item meets the selection criteria as stated within the collection development policy, fits within its stated scope, and adds value to the digital collection, then the item may be considered for inclusion in the digital library. This is of course dependent upon the lending institution's permission. If and when permission is given, then and only then will the item be included in the digital library. When the time comes for the loaned item to be returned to the lending institution, the item shall be removed from the digital library.
3. When an item in the digital library does not meet the selection criteria, or fit within the stated scope as is laid out in the collection development policy, then that item shall be removed.
C. Appeal Process
The decision to remove an item from the digital library may be appealed by any user of the digital library. The request must be in the form of a written letter, and reasons why an item should not be removed from the digital library should be stated. This appeal process allows the museum staff to review their initial decision to remove an item from the digital library, and in doing so, they will be able to make sure the right decision was made.
D. Collection Evaluation & Assessment
1. It is recommended that the museum staff evaluate and assess the digital collection at least once every six months. The focus of this important and ongoing process shall be on continuous improvement of the digital collection. The following list serves as a guideline when evaluating and assessing the digital collection:
a. Identify the collections strengths.
b. Identify the collections weaknesses.
c. What weaknesses, if any, were found?
d. What improvements can be made to the collection that will results in a lower number of weaknesses or no weaknesses at all?
2. During the evaluation and assessment process, special attention should be paid to user inputs, comments, and/or feedback. User's opinions are highly valued and should always be taken into account. The following list serves as a guideline when evaluating and assessing user input, comments, and/or feedback:
a. What do users see as strengths in the digital collection?
b. What do users see as weaknesses in the digital collection?
c. Have users suggested improvements to the digital collection?
E. Maintenance
The digital collection is to be maintained.
1. The site should be updated on a regular basis. It is recommended that the date of "last update" should be no more than six months old.
2. All links, especially those that link to other websites, should periodically be checked to make sure they are in working order. It is recommended that all links be checked on a regular basis. \
COPYRIGHT POLICY
All images and documents contained in Wings over Western New York: The Digital Collection of the Niagara Aerospace Museum are the property of the Niagara Aerospace Museum unless expressed otherwise. Where copyright belongs to a third party that has granted the Niagara Aerospace Museum permission to use the material, copyright ownership information accompanies the material in question
No image or document contained in this collection may be copied or used without express written permission of the Niagara Aerospace Museum.
Commercial website pages may not link to any area of this collection without prior written permission from the Niagara Aerospace Museum. However, visitors are encouraged to use portions of the materials in this collection for such purposes as criticism, research, or education.
The Niagara Aerospace Museum is committed to respecting the intellectual property rights of others and has taken all reasonable efforts to trace the copyright owners of images and obtain permissions for reproductions in this collection. In the case where any of the un-traceable copyright owners come forward after the publication of this digital library, the Niagara Aerospace Museum will duly take the appropriate steps correct the problem.
The Niagara Aerospace Museum does not accept any liability for or take responsibility for, endorse, sponsor or otherwise approve of any information or statements appearing on websites we link to nor any websites those sites may refer you to. For permission to link to this site, for high-quality images or for more information, please contact Fran at franinaerospace@aol.com.
Niagara Aerospace Museum is not a federal department or agency and therefore is not required to follow web compliance guidelines set forth by the W3C. However, this site will adhere to the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. Compliance of Section 508 will establish a minimal level of accessibility to users with disabilities.