In 1832, Lindenwood University was founded in an effort to provide a Protestant-based education to the young women of the region. Since that time, Lindenwood has experienced a change that has reflected the culture of the Midwestern United States, always with the intention of helping young men and women acquire the skills to become useful citizens. The archives seek to centralize access to all university publications, minutes, and reports relating to the university. Currently, the archives contain approximately 5,500 linear feet of records.
The primary goal of the Mary E. Ambler Archives is to be a tool that Lindenwood faculty and students will find useful in the research of institutional and regional topics. The archives intends to make additional resources available in the future to Missourians and researchers abroad by making content accessible through digitization.
The Institutional Repository of Lindenwood University is accessible through our Digital Commons
Collection Development Policy
Introduction
The Mary E. Ambler Archives is located within the Learning and Academic Resource Center on the campus of Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri.
The goal of the Archives is to serve as a destination for primary resource research among Lindenwood University’s students and faculty. Current holdings of institutional records include unpublished documents, books, periodicals, newspapers, photographs, digital files, and artwork. The Archives has placed a priority to expand its holdings of hard copy and digital materials on:
- Archival materials that supplement the Sporting News Collection and Sports history.
- Lindenwood founders, George and Mary Sibley
- Subjects related to Lindenwood history within a 75-mile radius of St. Charles County, St. Louis City and County and material from Illinois
- Missouri history that informs Lindenwood University’s history and/or research needs.
- The Early American Frontier
- Women’s Colleges
Holdings
The Mary E. Ambler Archives holds extensive subject files containing information about past Lindenwood presidents, faculty, students, and events. Materials include: yearbooks, course catalogs, photographs, student newspapers, Lindenwood publications, and meeting minutes. The Archivist actively collects records for the Archives from Lindenwood University campus departments, committees, and offices.
A large portion of the original papers of George and Mary Sibley can be found at Lindenwood. (For most of the Sibley papers not owned by the university, Lindenwood has transcripts available for research purposes.) Included among this collection is the personal library which belonged to the Sibleys.
In 2020, Lindenwood acquired the Sporting News Collection from the American City and Business Journals. Included in this archival collection are many papers of Charles Spink and J.G. Taylor Spink. This collection is currently being processed.
Additional highlights found in the archives include the Conoyer Political Button Collection, the personal library of U.S. Senator James A. Reed, and the artwork of Louise Leak.
Access to Materials
The Archives is open to the public by appointment with the Archivist or other Archives staff for any necessary access to physical items (when appropriate) or for consultation concerning research needs.
Archives staff develop and maintain the Archives with support from the Technical Services Librarian, and/or Dean of the Library, as needed.
Digital records of many currently cataloged objects are available at the Mary E Ambler Online Collections Database.
While housed in the Mary E. Ambler Archives, Lindenwood University Theses, Dissertations and certain monographs are cataloged and discoverable in the Lindenwood University Library Catalog.
Institutional Repository
In December 2020, Lindenwood University entered into an agreement to implement an Institutional Repository to further the mission and values of Lindenwood University and be a means of digital access to Archival materials, faculty and student produced research and scholarship resources, and institutional policies. Under supervision of University Archivist, initial transfer of content will begin in April 2021.
Donation Guidelines
In unique circumstances, the archives will acquire outside of the scope of the core collection development policy if it is determined to be useful for educational and research purposes.
Donors must sign a release form that will give Lindenwood free use and ownership of the material being offered.
Removal from Collection
Lindenwood University reserves the right to de-accession or transfer materials out of the Archives if the Archivist or Dean of the Library deems that another repository should own and house the materials.
While it is the Archives’ intent to house historical materials in perpetuity, its collections must be periodically and systematically evaluated. Any items removed from the Archives will be discarded, shredded, or donated if condition allows.
Types of materials that could be subject to removal from the Archives:
- Materials that no longer meet the collection development criteria.
- Materials that become unstable in physical nature and pose a health risk, such as those affected by mold, water damage, pests, or other unforeseen conditions.
Policy Review
This collection development policy will be reviewed bi-annually and modifications made when appropriate.
Digital Preservation Policy
Introduction
The goal of the Digital Preservation Policy for the Mary Ambler Archives (MAA) at Lindenwood University is to provide guidelines for digitization procedures that support the mission and goals of the library. The Archives is committed to providing access to its materials through digitization, in order to promote scholarship within the Lindenwood community and abroad.
Digital access to physical collections will help ensure long-term preservation and stewardship of Lindenwood’s unique collections.
For born-digital materials, the Archives staff is committed to extend the life of computer files by preventing media failure and protecting them from obsolescence by migrating them to new file types.
Objectives
The MAA digital preservation policy will operate within the following directives:
- Access: Management of digital content involves dedication to providing digital access to academic and historically significant materials, and whenever possible, to promote scholarship among the Lindenwood community and the public. Limitations may be placed on access to some content due to legal obligations, donor agreements, or other reasons. This access will be provided freely through the Digital Commons@Lindenwood University.
- Collaboration: The Archives is dedicated to serving all colleges and departments of the university to digitally preserve items of significance. It will also strive to work with the Lindenwood community to create projects that will encourage scholarship and creativity, using its digital content. Additionally, the Archives engages with the local community on tasks and initiatives that integrate with Lindenwood’s history and influence in the area.
- Best practices: The MAA will comply with community-developed standards and practices related to the creation, maintenance, storage, and delivery of digital objects.
- Metadata: The archives will create useful, descriptive, administrative, technical, and preservation metadata for all digital content ensuring discovery and access are maintained.
- Legally Compliant: The MAA is committed to observing intellectual property, regulatory, copyright, privacy, and ownership rights for preservation of and access to all digital content.
Categories of Commitment
- Lindenwood University scholarly and creative content
- Lindenwood University theses and dissertations
- Open Educational Resources created by the Lindenwood community
- Lindenwood University publications
- Archival materials
- The Sporting News Collection
- Regional materials
Content Types
The content sources for the above categories of commitment will include:
- Articles and records
- Images
- Audio and visual recordings
- Data/data sets
It is likely that the MAA will obtain other types of materials in additional formats if it is deemed relevant to our categories of commitment.
Strategies for Digitization
Priority for digitization will be based on the amount of expected use, need to preserve at-risk materials, and research value of the content. While all available technologies meet industry standards and best practices, items requiring care outside the purview of MAA capacity will be outsourced.
Materials for short-term use, such as materials scanned for e-reserve and interlibrary borrowing requests, will not be preserved.
Review
This policy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, with a review occurring no less than once every three years.
Circulation Policy
Due to the unique nature of many of the items in the archives, items do not circulate and can only be viewed during the normal hours of operation.
Photocopies and Scans
Archives staff will photocopy or scan material at the researcher’s expense when such duplication can be done without injury to the material and does not violate copyright restrictions or restrictions imposed by agreement with the donor. We do not duplicate entire archival collections or all the text of individual books, manuscripts, or boxes of material. Use of personal copiers or scanners is prohibited. The use of cameras is acceptable within the aforementioned parameters.
Copies are provided for the researcher's personal use only and are not to be transferred to another individual or institution without the permission of the Lindenwood - Mary E. Ambler Archives. Provision of copies does not constitute permission to publish.
