Version: 1.0
Effective Date: 12th of June 2026
Review Cycle: Every two years (or as required)
Approved By: Howfarng and The Greenlab Forge Limited
1. Purpose
The Digital Collection Development Policy provides a framework for the selection, acquisition, digitization, preservation, and management of digital collections. It ensures that digital resources are developed consistently, ethically, and strategically to support the organization’s mission of preserving, documenting, and providing access to historical, cultural, and educational materials.
This policy aims to:
- Preserve valuable historical and cultural heritage.
- Improve public access to collections.
- Ensure consistency in collecting decisions.
- Promote responsible stewardship of digital assets.
- Support research, education, and community engagement.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all digital materials acquired, created, digitized, or managed by the organization, including materials received through donations, partnerships, purchases, field documentation, and internal digitization projects.
It covers:
- Born-digital materials
- Digitized archival records
- Photographs
- Manuscripts
- Newspapers and magazines
- Books
- Maps
- Architectural drawings
- Government publications
- Oral histories
- Audio recordings
- Video recordings
- Films
- Posters
- Ephemera
- Personal papers
- Institutional records
- Artwork
- Three-dimensional object documentation
- Metadata associated with all collections
3. Collection Mission
The digital collection exists to preserve, document, and provide meaningful access to materials of enduring historical, cultural, educational, and research value.
The collection seeks to:
- Preserve vulnerable materials before deterioration or loss.
- Increase accessibility regardless of geographical location.
- Support historical research.
- Encourage lifelong learning.
- Promote public appreciation of cultural heritage.
- Facilitate responsible reuse where legally permitted.
4. Collection Priorities
Priority shall be given to materials that:
Historical Significance
Materials documenting important historical events, movements, institutions, industries, or individuals.
Cultural Significance
Materials reflecting traditions, customs, languages, arts, beliefs, and everyday life.
Research Value
Materials with strong educational or scholarly importance.
Rarity
Unique or difficult-to-find materials.
Preservation Need
Materials at risk of physical deterioration.
Community Interest
Collections with demonstrated public interest.
Institutional Relevance
Materials aligned with the organization’s mission and collecting focus.
5. Geographic Scope
Collections may include materials relating to:
- Nigeria
- West Africa
- African Diaspora (where relevant)
- International materials that significantly contribute to understanding Nigerian history and heritage.
6. Collection Categories
The digital collection may include:
Photographs: Historic photographs, portraits, aerial photographs, studio photography, documentary photography.
Printed Materials: Books, newspapers, magazines, journals, pamphlets, brochures, newsletters.
Documents: Letters, certificates, reports, correspondence, legal records, government documents.
Maps and Plans: Historical maps, town plans, engineering drawings, architectural plans.
Audio: Speeches, interviews, oral histories, music recordings, radio broadcasts.
Video: Documentaries, television recordings, interviews, home movies, news footage.
Film: Motion picture film and digitized cinema materials.
Ephemera: Tickets, postcards, flyers, invitations, advertisements, menus, programmes.
Artwork: Paintings, sketches, prints, illustrations.
Born-Digital Records: Digital photographs, digital documents, websites, emails, social media archives where legally acquired.
7. Acquisition Methods
Materials may be acquired through:
- Donation
- Gift
- Purchase
- Deposit
- Institutional transfer
- Field documentation
- Commissioned documentation
- Partnerships
- Grants
- Digitization agreements
- Licensed content
All acquisitions shall be documented and accompanied by appropriate ownership or usage agreements.
8. Selection Criteria
Materials will be evaluated using the following criteria:
- Relevance to collection scope
- Historical significance
- Authenticity
- Provenance
- Research value
- Physical or digital condition
- Copyright status
- Rights available for digitization
- Long-term preservation feasibility
- Availability of descriptive information
- Duplication within existing collections
- Resource requirements for ongoing management
No single criterion guarantees acquisition.
9. Exclusions
The organization generally will not collect:
- Materials unrelated to the collection mission.
- Duplicate copies without added value.
- Items lacking sufficient provenance.
- Materials with unresolved ownership disputes.
- Materials that cannot legally be preserved or made accessible.
- Items requiring preservation resources beyond organizational capacity.
- Offensive or harmful material lacking historical or research value.
10. Digitization Priorities
Digitization projects should prioritize:
- Rare materials
- Fragile materials
- Frequently requested materials
- High research value collections
- Materials with significant public interest
- At-risk audiovisual formats
- Collections supporting exhibitions and educational programmes
11. Metadata Standards
Each digital object should be described using recognized metadata standards where appropriate.
Metadata should include:
- Title
- Creator
- Date
- Description
- Subject keywords
- Geographic location
- Language
- Format
- Rights information
- Source
- Collection
- Identifier
- Digitization details
- Preservation metadata
Metadata should be regularly reviewed for accuracy and consistency.
12. Rights and Intellectual Property
The organization will respect applicable copyright and intellectual property laws.
Where possible:
- Rights ownership shall be documented.
- Permissions shall be obtained before digitization were applicable.
- Usage restrictions shall be clearly communicated.
- Public domain materials should be identified accordingly.
Users remain responsible for obtaining permission for uses beyond those permitted by law or license.
13. Access
The organization seeks to provide the widest possible public access while respecting:
- Copyright
- Privacy
- Cultural sensitivity
- Donor agreements
- Legal restrictions
- Ethical obligations
Some materials may have restricted access.
14. Preservation
Digital preservation activities include:
- Secure storage
- Multiple backups
- Geographic redundancy
- Routine fixity checking
- File integrity monitoring
- Format migration
- Documentation of preservation actions
- Disaster recovery planning
Preservation copies shall remain separate from public access copies whenever possible.
15. Sensitive Materials
Special consideration will be given to materials containing:
- Personal information
- Sacred or culturally sensitive content
- Indigenous knowledge
- Human remains
- Restricted government information
- Vulnerable communities
Access restrictions may be applied where appropriate.
16. Deaccessioning
Digital materials may be removed when:
- They fall outside the collection scope.
- Ownership is successfully challenged.
- Rights are withdrawn.
- Materials are duplicates without unique value.
- Files are irreparably corrupted and cannot be recovered.
- Legal or ethical concerns require removal.
Any deaccessioning decision shall be documented.
17. Partnerships
The organization may collaborate with:
- Archives
- Museums
- Libraries
- Universities
- Government agencies
- Community organizations
- Private collectors
- Cultural institutions
Partnerships should support responsible stewardship and public access.
18. Review
This policy should be reviewed every two years, or sooner if significant legal, technological, or organizational changes occur.
19. Responsibilities
Collection development is the shared responsibility of:
- Collection Manager
- Archivists
- Digital Preservation Staff
- Curators
- Metadata Specialists
- Rights and Licensing Officers
- Information Technology Staff
- Executive Management
Major acquisition decisions may be reviewed by a Collection Development Committee where appropriate.
20. Guiding Principles
The organization is committed to:
- Authenticity
- Transparency
- Inclusivity
- Diversity of perspectives
- Ethical collecting
- Long-term preservation
- Accessibility
- Accountability
- Respect for intellectual property
- Continuous improvement
Appendix A: Preferred File Formats
Images: TIFF (master), JPEG, JPEG 2000, PNG
Documents: PDF/A, TIFF, TXT
Audio: WAV (master), FLAC, MP3 (access)
Video: MOV (preservation), MP4 (access)
Metadata: XML, CSV, JSON
