Library Committees

Special Collections Acquisitions Steering Committee (SCASC)

Reports To: 

AUL for Research and Learning 

AUL for Scholarly Resources 

AUL for Special Collections and Director of the Beinecke Library 

Committee Charge: 

Guided by principles of sustainable stewardship, Yale Library pursues an ambitious and thoughtful collecting agenda that foregrounds the diversity of human experience, upholds the highest ethical and professional standards, and inspires new research and creativity. Yale Library’s collaborative acquisitions program across all special collections is based on a holistic understanding of our collecting priorities and the operational impact of new acquisitions. Our work to build and sustain special collections at Yale Library engages colleagues across the university and beyond, including faculty, researchers, practitioners, undergraduate and graduate students, and lifelong learners.  

The Special Collections Acquisitions Steering Committee (SCASC) is charged as the decision-making body to realize this collecting agenda. It helps to ensure that acquisitions for Yale Library Special Collections do not exceed our capacity to steward these materials responsibly and make them available for research in a timely manner, and it serves as a forum through which Yale University Library’s selectors with collection development responsibilities for special collections can provide input on issues related to our work.  

This charge includes: 

  • Establish and maintain Special Collections Acquisitions Guidelines, in accordance with principles of sustainable stewardship 

  • Evaluate special collections acquisitions proposals in accordance with established rubrics and principles of sustainable stewardship 

  • Refer operational and governance issues to Special Collections Steering Committee or Special Collections Leadership Team, as appropriate 

Committee Members:

Chair: Director of Collections and Chief Curator 

 

Membership:  

  • Director of Collections and Chief Curator (Chair) 

  • Director of Special Collections Technical Services or designate (standing member) 

  • Director of Preservation and Conservation Services or designate (standing member) 

  • Director of Areas Studies and Humanities (standing member)  

  • Special Collections Steering Committee representative (standing member) 

  • Beinecke Collections representative (standing member) 

 

Ex-Officio: 

  • Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Beinecke Library Director  

  • Associate University Librarian for Research and Learning 

  • Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources 

 

Consultants: 

  • Director of Academic Affairs and Exhibitions 

  • Director of Community Engagement 

  • Director of Digital Special Collections and Access 

  • Director of Access Services and Operations 

 

Term of Service:  

  • Standing or ex-officio appointment by virtue of position  

  • Special Collections Steering Committee sponsors recommend Special Collections Steering Committee representative for appointment of two-year terms 

  • Beinecke Chief Curator appoints Beinecke Collections representative for appointment of two-year terms 

SharePoint Site: 
https://yaleedu.sharepoint.com/sites/YaleSpecialCollections/SitePages/SCASC.aspx
Last modified on April 24, 2025 . Contact Andrew Gray to update.