Conferences

Since 1959, RBMS has held an annual preconference in conjunction with the ALA annual conference:

Past RBMS Preconferences
RBMS Preconference Scholarship Program Assessment
Past RBMS/ALA Annual Conference Programs
RBMS/ALA Meeting Schedules

See also the Conference Development Committee Manual, which contains scheduling and other information relating to upcoming and past RBMS preconferences.

2009 RBMS Preconference

Seas of Change: Navigating the Cultural and Institutional Contexts of Special Collections
The 50th Annual ALA/ACRL/Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) Preconference
Charlottesville, Virginia
Wednesday, June 17, through Saturday, June 20, 2009

For its 50th anniversary preconference, RBMS will return to the site of its first annual preconference, Charlottesville, Virginia, with the University of Virginia serving at its primary host. This milestone anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on our experiences and accomplishments, think critically about how our profession has changed, and anticipate the changes that may lie ahead.

[more]

2010 RBMS Preconference

The 51st RBMS Preconference will be held in Philadelphia from Tuesday, June 22 through Friday, June 25, 2010, just prior to the ALA Annual Meeting, which will be held in Washington, D.C.. The preconference theme will be collaboration. Local arrangements will be coordinated by members of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL). The Doubletree hotel will serve as the conference headquarters.

Past RBMS Preconferences

“Rare and Special Bytes: Special Collections in the Digital Age,” the 49th Annual RBMS Preconference, Los Angeles, CA, June 24-27, 2008.
“From Here to Ephemerality: Fugitive Sources in Libraries, Archives, and Museums,” the 48th Annual RBMS Preconference, Baltimore, MD, June 19-22, 2007.
“Libraries, Archives, and Museums in the Twenty-First Century: Intersecting Missions, Converging Futures?” the 47th Annual RBMS Preconference, Austin, TX, June 20-23, 2006.
“Bridging the Gap: Education and Special Collections,” the 46th Annual RBMS Preconference, St. Louis, MO, June 21-24, 2005.
“Ebb & Flow: The Migration of Collections to and from American Libraries,” the 45th Annual RBMS Preconference, Yale University, New Haven, CT, June 21-24, 2004.
“TRUE/FALSE: Facsimiles, Fakes, Forgeries and Issues of Authenticity in Special Collections ,”the 44th Annual RBMS Preconference, Toronto, Canada, June 17-20, 2003.
“New Occasions, New Duties: Changing Roles and Expectations in Special Collections,” the 43rd Annual RBMS Preconference, Atlanta, Georgia, June 11-14, 2002.
“The Twentieth Century,” the 42nd Annual RBMS Preconference, San Francisco & Berkeley, California, June 12-15, 2001.
“Beyond Words: Visual Information in Special Collections,” the 41st RBMS Preconference, Chicago, July 5-7, 2000.
“Border Crossings: Exploring New Territories for Special Collections,” the 40th RBMS Preconference, Montreal, 1999
“Getting Ready for the Nineteenth Century: Strategies and Solutions for Rare Book and Special Collections Librarians,” the 39th RBMS Preconference, Washington, 1998.
“Rereading the Past: New Methodologies and Approaches to the History of the Book,” the 38th RBMS Preconference, Claremont, California, June 24-27, 1997.
“Getting There From Here: Setting the Agenda for Special Collections in the 21st Century,” the 37th RBMS Preconference, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, July 2-5, 1996.

Proceedings of several RBMS Preconferences have been published; please see the "Publications" section of the Web site for details.

Past RBMS/ALA Annual Conference Programs

“Action! Setting Preservation Priorities and Ensuring Access to Your Moving Image Collections,” at the ALA Annual Conference, Sunday, in Anaheim, CA, June 29, 2008.
“Collecting World Cultures: African, Asian, Caribbean, and Native American Materials in Chicago Institutions,” at the 2005 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL, June 26, 2005. [PDF]

RBMS Preconference Scholarship Program Assessment

At the request of the ACRL Board, RBMS conducted an assessment of the impact of its preconference scholarship program assessment on membership recruitment and retention. The report is available for download as a Word document.