Collections
at the Postal History Foundation
The Postal History Foundation holds seven main types of collections:
Library Collection
The Library Collection at the Slusser Library primarily covers philately and associated subjects. Secondary subjects in the Library Collection are Arizona history and the American Civil War.
The library holds Civil War items due to the terms of the monetary gift that built the library building. We agreed to care for Peggy Slusser’s Civil War book and object collection when her parents, Blaine and Bessie Slusser, gifted us the funds. The Civil War collection has grown significantly since then due to various donations. Our Civil War book collection is one of the finest in Southern Arizona!
See highlights of our Library Collection Management Policy below, or click to read the full policy.
Types of items
Items in the Library Collection include books (including price catalogs), journals and magazines, auction catalogs, maps, and ephemera (e.g. newspaper articles, postal forms, miscellany).
Acquisition
The Slusser Library actively collects philatelic literature and acquires them both by purchase and donations. Persons wishing to donate philatelic literature are encouraged to check our catalog for our holdings to avoid duplication.
Scope
The reading materials in the Library Collection at the Postal History Foundation must support the Foundation’s mission by relating to philately and/or postal history. This includes Arizona and the West and specific areas of collecting (ships, dirigibles, etc.).
A secondary level of collecting is materials that support the research of philately and postal history with general and historical information. The library does not actively collect Civil War or Arizona history items due to space limitations. However, as some Arizona history items do help researchers with Arizona postal history, some exceptions are made.
Care and use
Library collection items are cataloged and shelved in temperature-controlled closed stacks. They are not available for browsing, but any member of the public may come to the reading room and request to see an item. Library Collection materials may be occasionally weeded, or removed from the collection, for various reasons, such as a newer edition acquired, patron usage, space requirements, or its fitness in the collection’s scope. Postal History Foundation members in good standing may check out many materials, with some restricted due to rarity, value, or status as a perpetual reference material.
Have questions after reading our policy?
Archives Collection
The scope of the Archives Collection at the Slusser Library includes philatelic materials, with an emphasis on Arizona philately and postal history. We do not currently purchase items for the archives, but rely on donations to acquire material. Material that is kept is determined to have historical or research value within the scope of the collection. Donated items that do not meet these requirements may be placed in the Display Enhancement Collection or the Interactive Collection, sold to benefit the Foundation, or donated.
As with the Library Collection, the Archives Collection contains Civil War material. Due to space limitations, we do not encourage donating these materials.
See highlights of our Archives Collection Management Policy below, or click to read the full policy.
Types of collection items
- Manuscript collections
- Photograph collections
- Civil War collection
Care and use
Materials kept in the Archives Collection are “accessioned,” which means that they receive extra care. Accessioned material is kept in archival storage, in temperature controlled conditions, with extra security. To be removed from the Archives Collection, a request must be made to the Board of Directors to approve its removal. Reasons for this include not fitting in the scope, duplication, and severe space limitations.
Materials in the Archives Collection are cataloged at the collection level. Archives Collection catalog records, with links to finding aids, can be found in our online catalog.
Any member of the public may come to the reading room and request to see an item from the Archives Collection. These items are also used in exhibits and occasionally loaned out to our education department or other non-profit organizations through a formal loan process.
The Library Collection is under the management of the Library and Archives director.
Go to our Slusser Library page to learn more about our Archives Collection.
Have questions after reading our policy?
Museum Collection
The objects in the museum collection at the Postal History Foundation are kept for preservation, public education, and research purposes.
The Foundation has not developed a Museum program. Because of this, the librarian/archivist is designated as the “Museum Collection Manager,” or the steward of the items in the museum collection and responsible for their care.
Acquisition
We do not currently purchase items for the museum collection, but rely on donations to acquire material.
Scope
The scope of the Museum Collection includes the business of sending and delivering mail, including, but not limited to, objects and general office supplies used in the post office; and philately, including, but limited to, stamps, postcards, envelopes, letter-writing, the collecting of said items and paraphernalia used in collecting. Special consideration is given for objects that were created by the United States Postal Service, and/or used in Arizona.
The Foundation does not add to its Museum Collection items such as artwork made out of or inspired by postal material, knick-knacks, plaques/awards, or reproductions. Donated items that do not meet these requirements may be placed in the Display Enhancement Collection or the Interactive Collection, sold to benefit the Foundation, or donated.
Care and use
Materials kept in the Museum Collection are “accessioned,” which means that they receive extra care. Accessioned material is kept in archival storage, in temperature controlled conditions, with extra security. To be removed from the Museum Collection, a request must be made to the Board of Directors to approve it’s removal. Reasons for this include not fitting in the scope, duplication, and severe space limitations.
Materials in the Museum Collection are cataloged at the item level. Museum Collection catalog records can be found in our online catalog.
Any member of the public may come to the library and request to see an item from the Museum Collection, provided it is in good condition and can be transported the reading room. These items are also used in exhibits and occasionally loaned out to our education department or other non-profit organizations through a formal loan process.
The Museum Collection is under the management of the Library and Archives director.
Go to our Museum page to see some items in our Museum Collection.
Have questions after reading our policy?
Interactive Collection
Items in the Interactive Collection are generally duplicate material that would have otherwise been accessioned in the Archives or Museum Collections. They are not rare or valuable, but have potential as useful learning tools. These items are solely acquired through donations.
These items are meant to be used and/or consumed by various audiences (students, visitors, etc.) as part of interactive exhibits.
These items are inventoried and stored in as close to archival-type conditions as resources permits. They are under the management of the Library and Archives and Education directors.
Note: the item in the image is only indicative of the types of items in this collection; this specific item has not yet been assigned a collection.
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Have questions after reading our policy?
Display Enhancement Collection
Items in the Display Enhancement Collection are comprised of donated material that do not fit the scope of the Archives or Museum Collections and are not accessioned. Examples include postal knick-knacks and stamp-themed artwork.
Some small items may also be purchased during the exhibit design process. Examples include a model stagecoach and horse figurines.
These items are inventoried and stored in as close to archival-type conditions as resources permits. They are under the management of the Library and Archives and Education directors.
Note: the item in the image is only indicative of the types of items in this collection; this specific item has not yet been assigned a collection.
Have questions after reading our policy?
Education Collection
The Education Collection is comprised of donated philatelic material that is used in services provided by the Stamp Discovery Education Program. This material is used and often consumed (i.e. given to kids) and so rotates often. The Stamp Discovery Education Program has a want list for gaps in their collection that can be found here.
Go to our Stamp Discovery Education Program page to learn more about how our Education Collection is used.
Types of collections
- U.S. stamps
- Foreign topical stamps
- Cachets
- Pictorial cancelation covers
- Slogan cancelation covers
- Stamp collecting books
- Stamp collecting tools
- and more
Care and use
Education Collection items have gone through a long sorting process before they reach the Stamp Discovery Education Program, where they are inventoried and organized. They are not generally accessed directly by the general public, but rather are used in the various services offered by Stamp Discovery.
Philatelic Collection
Over the years, the Foundation has had specific stamp collections that were later sold to help keep our non-profit organization running.
We’re planning to form an excellent U.S. stamp collection in albums. We want to have a quality representation of stamps produced in the United States. Our Philatelic Collection is in its beginning stages.
