INLAND NORTHWEST SPECIAL COLLECTIONS Policy

Adopted by Spokane Public Library Board of Trustees on August 17, 1998; revised April 17, 2007; revised June 15, 2026.

Formerly: Use of Fuller Collection Materials Policy

The Inland Northwest Special Collections (INSC) serves as a repository for materials that document the history, culture, and current state of Spokane, Spokane County, Washington, and neighboring states. The INSC collects, preserves, provides access to, and promotes the use of these materials for learning, research, and teaching.

The INSC has three major collecting areas:

1. Inland Northwest Reading Room Collection

This collection is housed in our reading room and includes published books, directories, maps, and subject files focused on the history of Spokane and the broader Inland Northwest from the 19th century to the present. This collection also includes genealogy materials connected to ancestry, cemeteries, and vital records of area communities.

2. Northwest Manuscripts Collection
This collection consists of manuscripts and records from individuals and organizations of significance to the history and present of the Spokane region. Primary areas of collecting include:

1. 1. Photographic collections relating to the history of the Spokane region
   2. Records of Spokane organizations, associations, and clubs
   3. Letters, diaries, and personal papers of Spokane residents

3. Rare Books
The INSC maintains a rare book collection with strengths in Northwest history, Americana, the history of printing and the book, and finely illustrated books. This includes the Fuller Collection, named after George Washington Fuller, Spokane’s City Librarian from 1911 to 1936, who purchased the majority of the materials that now constitute our rare book collection. The Fuller Collection includes incunabula (books printed before 1501), Bibles and other works related to the history of religion, geographies, herbals, and the history of the book.

DONATIONS
Manuscript collections and rare books are acquired primarily through donations. The INSC will only collect material that can be responsibly maintained and preserved within the constraints of allocated resources. A deed of gift is required to legally transfer donated material to the INSC.

ACCESS
The INSC is open to the public and strives to provide open and equal access to the resources in its holdings. Since many of the items in the INSC are fragile and rare, this collection does not circulate and is governed by different access procedures than the rest of the library’s collections. Materials must be viewed in the reading room under the supervision of INSC staff. Our rare book and manuscript collections are stored in a secure climate-controlled space that is not open to the public for browsing. Items will be brought to the reading room for viewing. While our goal is to provide access to these materials, the library may deny or limit access if it would impair the physical integrity or safety of an item.

DEACCESSION POLICY
Deaccession of materials are legitimate aspects of collection management and are intended to refine and improve the quality and appropriateness of the collection over time. Due to limited space and resources, the INSC will periodically review acquisitions to determine whether or not they remain within the collection scope. Should the Archivist determine that a particular collection warrants deaccessioning, the INSC will make a good-faith effort to transfer custody and ownership to another repository, or return a collection to the donor or the donor’s heirs prior to disposal of the collection. If the Archivist determines that an item from the Fuller collection should be deaccessioned, approval must be granted by the Library Board of Trustees.