Strategic Action Plan

Strategic Action Plan

An independent expert has, on commission from the KAS, recently surveyed the Library and its operation, and has produced a 'Report relating to Issues of Collection Maintenance'. While some of the points raised are not relevant to the conditions under which the KAS as a voluntary body with no permanently employed staff has to run its Library, and, while some of the issues discussed are already the subject of attention by the Library, a number of valid points call for, and are the subject of, a concerted plan of action.

The implementation of the plan will include work in areas such as Health and Safety, indexing, caring for the book stock, conserving visual and other records, making the use of the Library easier for visitors, and improving the temperature and humidity conditions in the Library.

Work proceeding, or planned to proceed, includes the following areas:

• Cleaning of Books and shelves throughout the Library, noting the condition of each book, making recommendations for replacement or refurbishment, and reporting any volume missing.
• A Book Guide is being produced for use in the Library which will indicate the location of books on numbered shelves, and will also list books to be found in the Bradbourne House and Marsham Street stores.
• A Guide on Safety Precautions to be observed by people working in the Library has been prepared, and equipment and materials are being checked for safety and suitability.

Cataloguing the Gordon Ward files is now complete, and work will begin on the Hussey collection. Addition of the index of both will be added to kentarchaeology.ac as soon as possible.

Cataloguing of Visual Records will continue as now, but in addition, an attempt will be made to assess the quantities of different types of records in order to draw up a plan with costs for their conservation.

The time scale on which these issues can be tackled depends on the number of members volunteering for work in the Library. A recent questionnaire has produced a few members volunteering their services, and these, together with those stalwarts that are just finishing work on the Gordon Ward Files, should enable a start to be made. More volunteers would be most welcome; please contact the Hon. Librarian if you have a mind to assist.