The University of Queensland

The Fryer Library relies on donors to build its collections and maintain its reputation as a research library of national and international standing.

1. Is the collection relevant to Fryer Library’s existing holdings?

The Library collects in a wide range of subjects relating to Australian literature and Queensland history and social life. However, many subject areas are outside our collecting scope. If your collection does not fit within our collection development policy we may be able to suggest other, more appropriate collecting institutions.

2. Does the collection have enduring historical, information and research value?

Fryer Library’s main goal is to support learning and research in the humanities and social sciences. The Library therefore acquires items and collections if they have ongoing historical, informational and research value in these fields of knowledge. In making this determination we consider the provenance of the material (who created it and why) and its contextual significance, and we take into account past, current and emerging research trends.

3. Does the collection contain unique and original material?

As a general rule, the Library does not collect or retain additional copies of material that it already holds or which is held by other collecting institutions.

Additional copies of books are retained only if they have some unique feature such as the author’s signature or some other significant annotation. Similarly, the Library does not usually accept research collections comprising copies of original documents held elesewhere, or manuscripts of books which do not differ in a substantial way from the published volume.

• Personal papers
• Diaries
• Drafts of published works
• Minutes, correspondence, articles of association, rule books, and publications of non-government organisations
• Newspaper cutting collections on a particular event or organisation
• Political ephemera such as fliers and posters
• Photographs
• Oral history recordings
• Books, especially rare books and books bearing the author’s signature or other significant annotation

• Old newspapers which are already available online, on microform or in newspaper collections held by Fryer Library or other institutions
• ‘Housekeeping’ papers with little research value, eg electricity bills, bank statements, cheque book stubs, etc. Similarly, the day-to-day financial and administrative records of an organisation are generally not required
• Research photocopies of documents held by Fryer Library or other collecting institutions

Be aware of the possibility that your material could infringe the privacy of other people or organisations, and might cause hurt or embarrassment or be potentially defamatory. Please draw the Library's attention to material you feel could be a problem. While the Library aims to maximise access to its collections, there may be circumstances where it is appropriate to restrict access to particular parts of a collection.

Unpublished manuscript items and other material under copyright cannot be reproduced without the permission of the copyright owner. The copyright owner is the person (or organisation) who created the work or has lawfully acquired copyright from the creator. To allow researchers to obtain copies of material held by Fryer Library, it is important that the Library can identify and trace copyright owners so their permission to copy can be sought. Please provide the Library with any information you have about who created the material in your collection and who might currently own copyright over it. If you are the copyright owner yourself, you have the option of retaining copyright ownership or assigning it to Fryer Library once your collection is transferred.

To enhance access to and awareness of Fryer Library’s holdings, the Library regularly digitize items from its collections for display on the Internet. When material is donated we request donor approval for the collection to be used in this way. Online images of Fryer material are protected by the Copyright Act 1968 and in most circumstances cannot be reproduced for publication without permission and acknowledgement.

Arranging and describing collections of original material so they can be catalogued for public access is a time-consuming task. Your assistance in the preliminary arrangement of your material helps the Library in a very practical way.

Where possible, please:

Remove any material that is not original or unique or holds little research value.

Date and identify the subject of photographs.

Arrange the material in a logical order, with like material together. Eg, keep meeting minutes together, photographs together, etc.

Provide a list of contents.

Provide relevant contextual information about the collection such as biographical notes in the case of personal papers of an individual or an administrative history in the case of records of an organisation.

To discuss your collection please contact the Manager, Fryer Library

Email: fryer@library.uq.edu.au

Phone: +61 7 3365 6276

Fax:     +61 7 3365 6776

Location: Level 4, Duhig Building (Building number 2), St Lucia Campus

Fyer Library
The University of Queensland
Brisbane QLD 4072