Collection Development

Abstract

In the 1950s, the State of Florida led the way in developing a national model for the development of the junior or community college system. The Brown vs Board of Education Supreme Court Decision impacted the segregated system and during the 1960s, Florida's 12 black junior colleges were merged with pre-existent majority campuses. This pattern of growth then merger reflected the larger history of growth of the local communities, the state, and the nation. The library of St. Petersburg College has seized the opportunity and shouldered the responsibility to preserve such a history for the diverse community in which it exists. Thanks to the joint efforts of the library, archivists, the community, inter-agency group, and grant funding, the complete history of a group too significant to be forgotten and the St. Petersburg College is being preserved for generations to come.

Key Words:

• Archiving
• collection development
• diversity
• community outreach