Developing a Cultural Plan - step by step guide
The first step in archiving your collection is to develop a Cultural Plan and Collection Management Plan. This helps you to work out what you are archiving and the priorities, how the archive will be used, who will have access, what resources and staffing you need, and how to ensure it is managed according to cultural protocols. The step by step guides and templates for the Plans and policies in this section will guide you through the process.
The first stage of planning is to meet with the relevant cultural custodians to develop the cultural protocols for your collection, including storage, staffing, access and sensitive or deceased content. The guide and template will help you ask the right questions and write up your Cultural Plan.
Once you've done a Cultural Plan, it is time to develop your Collection Management Plan. There are 11 suggested elements to include in your Plan. The step by step guide, template and sample Plan will help you work out the right plan for your collection. This will need updating every so often.
You can apply to the National Library of Australia for a Community Heritage Grant to get a Significance Audit done for your collection. This helps to get other funding. If your collection is deemed nationally significant, you can also apply for a Preservations Needs Assessment, to be undertaken by a preservation expert.
Templates are available below to develop policies specific to your collection for: Cultural Management; Staffing; Archive Access; Cataloguing Platforms and Standards; Digital Storage; Disposal of Physical Media; and Media Donation.
It is important to to be prepared in case disaster strikes - fire, flood, building damage and so on. The planning guide and templates will help you get prepared.