Schedule

The main preconference program will feature plenary sessions addressing nine cultural and institutional contexts of special collections librarianship. We have invited distinguished speakers who represent these contexts to discuss major trends and issues faced by their communities – past, present, and future – and to help us consider their relevance to our work as library and archives professionals:

Introductory remarks

The History of the Section and the Preconference
David Stam

Plenary Sessions

Keynote address Academic Research Universities
John T. Casteen, III, President of the University of Virginia

Working with our Research Communities
Professor Francis X. Blouin, Director, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan

Professional Organizations and Library Education
Beverly P. Lynch, Professor, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Collecting, Auctions, and the Book Trade
Katharine Kyes Leab, Editor, American Book Prices Current

Publishing and the Popular Consumption of Print Materials
A panel featuring: Ted Genoways, Editor, Virginia Quarterly Review; Eli Horowitz, Publisher, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern; Tod Lippy, Editor, Esopus

The Law and Policy of the Global Information Ecosystem
Siva Vaidhyanathan, Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia Law School

Preservation and Large-Scale Digitization
Oya Y. Rieger, Associate University Librarian for Information Technologies, Cornell University

Independent Research Libraries
Ellen S. Dunlap, President, American Antiquarian Society

Academic Library Systems, Domestic and International
Sarah E. Thomas, The Bodley’s Librarian and Director, Oxford University

Plenary sessions will be scheduled on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings.

In addition to the main program, the preconference will feature a lively series of seminars, short papers and discussion groups.

The short paper theme, New and Emerging Voices, is designed to gather perspectives of new special collections professionals on the nature of our collections, institutions and the future of our work. Recent graduates of library and information studies programs, experienced librarians making a career change, and representatives of groups traditionally underrepresented in the archival, rare book and manuscript library professions will share their points of view in half-hour prepared presentations. They will talk about why they have been drawn to the field at this point in time, what they hope to achieve, and where they see cultural and institutional tides taking us in the future.

A Call for Papers was posted on September 2. Selections were made and notifications were sent by December 1. Presentations will be given in three concurrent sessions on Friday afternoon.

Session 1

Special Collections at Risk
Cristine Noriko Paschild
Head of Special Collections and University Archivist
Branford P. Millar Library
Portland State University

Beyond Reformatting: Special Collections and Digital Humanities at the Crossroads
Gregory J. Prickman
Assistant Head, Special Collections & University Archives Creator & Designer, The Atlas of Early Printing
The University of Iowa Libraries

Special Collections Cataloging in the 21st Century Academic Library
Michelle Mascaro
Special Collections Cataloger
University of Akron
Bierce Library

Session 2

Building Community While Building a Library: Community Partnerships and the Creation of the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum
Krystal Appiah
Graduate Student, UCLA, MLIS, Archival Studies (June 2009)
Intern, Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum

Putting the Pieces Together: Curating the Slocum Puzzle Collection at Indiana University's Lilly Library
Jillian Hinchliffe
Curator of Puzzles
Lilly Library, Indiana University

Dada v. Dada: Changes in the Use of Library Materials in Museum Exhibitions (and what that changes for museum libraries)
Sheelagh Bevan
Assistant Librarian, Reference
The Museum of Modern Art

Session 3

Digitization, Inspiration, and the Next Generation of Collecting -- Or, What We Talk About When We Talk About Research
William Hansen
Assistant Curator of Collections
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
Duke University

Seamless Marketing: The Impact of the Web on Special Collections Patronage, a Case Study from the Carmelitana Collection
Allison Jai O'Dell
Librarian / Cataloger
The Carmelitana Collection
Whitefriars Hall

Special Collections' Golden Age
Michael J. Paulus, Jr.
Archivist and Special Collections Librarian
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Penrose Library

The program schedule will include five open discussion sessions. The sessions will be held concurrently on Thursday afternoon. Following is a list of the topics and facilitators:

Working with Our Parent Organizations, with Examples Drawn from the History of RBMS
Peter Hanff, Deputy Director, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
Suzy Taraba, Head of Special Collections and University Archivist, Wesleyan University

The Future of the RBMS Preconference
Elizabeth Johnson, Head Technical Services, Indiana University-Bloomington Lilly Library
Nora Quinlan, Head of Reference, Allvin Sherman Library, Nova Southeastern University

Many Voices at the Table: Diversity in Special Collections
Julie Grob, Digital Projects and Instruction Librarian, Special Collections, University of Houston
Athena Nicole Jackson, Co-chair, RBMS Divisity Committee

Web 2.0 and Special Collections
John H. Overholt, Assistant Curator, Hyde Collection and Early Modern Books and Manuscripts, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Beth M. Whittaker, Head, Special Collections Cataloging, Ohio State University Libraries

Issues Faced by Small Libraries
Lynne M. Thomas, Head Rare Books/Special Collections, Northern Illinois University
Anne Bahde, Special Collections and University Archives Librarian, San Diego State University

The preconference program will feature nine seminars on a variety of topics pertaining to special collections librarianship. Seminars will be presented in three sessions of three concurrent seminars. Selected topics will include:

• mold outbreaks
• innovative employment of undergraduate and graduate students
• "Shifting Gears": digitization principles in practice
• using the ACRL Guidelines on the Selection of General Collection Materials for Transfer to Special Collections
  managing the use of no longer "hidden" collections
• the effect of Web 2.0 on donor relations and scholarly practice

Additional information about these and other seminars will soon be posted here.