New Directions for Special Collections: An Anthology of Practice: An Anthology of Practice

by Lynne M. Thomas (Editor), Beth M. Whittaker (Editor)

Overview

Special collections today—from rare books and other specialized book collections to audio recordings and visual images—offer librarians limitless opportunities to showcase their skills in curating, preserving, and offering access to these resources to patrons. Drawing on innovative practices and enduring values to address challenges and opportunities in the broad realm of special collections librarianship, this book updates the notion of special collections to the wide range of materials, institutions, and contexts where they exist today. The contributed essays describe the various kinds of innovative projects and practices that are sought by IMLS and other funding agencies today and serve to illustrate how going beyond a traditionally limited idea of special collections opens doors to far more engaging opportunities.

Spanning the converging worlds of academic and special libraries, rare book collections, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions, this book will be useful to newcomers and seasoned professionals alike. The essays address the recurring themes of managing and welcoming change and the impact of digital technologies throughout the book, whether regarding new approaches to outreach and instruction, the acquisition and curation of non-traditional collections, new structures for discovery and access in a digital world, or the nature of special collections work now. Both experienced professionals and recent graduates from one of the booming archival studies programs will find this text invaluable in creating a successful career in special collections or cultural heritage curation today and in the near future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440842917
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/31/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	249
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Lynne M. Thomas is head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Rare Book and Manuscript Professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Beth M. Whittaker is assistant dean of distinctive collections at the University of Kansas Libraries, where she leads special collections, archives, conservation, and international area studies initiatives.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Introduction

Lynne M. Thomas and Beth M. Whittaker

Chapter 1: The Rare Book Librarian's Day, Revisited

Melanie Griffin

Chapter 2: Reading Room and Reference (Re)Vision: The Transformation of Reader Services

Mattie Taormina

Chapter 3: "Oh, Wow!": Assessment and Affective Learning in Special Collections and Archives

Anne Bahde

Chapter 4: Developing K–12 Outreach Methods for Special Collections Centers

Amy Chen, Lisa Crane, Melanie Meyers, Charlotte Priddle, and Abby Saunders

Chapter 5: Teaching with Special Collections: Alliances Between Cultural Heritage Professionals

Maureen E. Maryanski

Chapter 6: History, Memory, Community, Leadership: Collections-Based Programming in Congressional Archives

Audrey McKanna Coleman

Chapter 7: Collecting Printed Books in a Digital Age

John Overholt

Chapter 8: Digital Acquisitions and Appraisal

Sarah Barsness and Anjanette Schussler

Chapter 9: Documenting Ferguson: Collecting Current Events in Archives

Meredith R. Evans

Chapter 10: Dance Companies as Living Archives: Protecting the Future by Preserving the Present

Supriya Wronkiewicz

Chapter 11: Success with Donors: Practical Approaches that Work for All

Sherry Williams

Chapter 12: You and What Army?: Making the Most of Student and Volunteer Labor in Contemporary Special Collection and Archives

Dana M. Miller

Chapter 13: A Janus Perspective: Origins and Future of 21st-Century Preservation and Conservation in Library and Archives Special Collections

Priscilla Anderson and Whitney Baker

Chapter 14: Top Ten Questions and Answers about Digital Preservation for Special Collections and Archives

Lynne M. Thomas and Jaime L. Schumacher

Chapter 15: Discovery of Special Collections Resources at Web Scale: Opportunities and Challenges for Metadata Librarians

Christine DeZelar-Tiedman

Chapter 16: Special Files on the Semantic Web: Using Linked Data to Revitalize Special Collections Catalogs

Allison Jai O'Dell

Chapter 17: Old Challenges, New Solutions: Leveraging Organizational Change to Construct a New Future

Jennifer O'Brien Roper and Ivey Glendon

Chapter 18: Open Access and Copyright in Archives and Special Collections

Heather Briston

Chapter 19: Leaving Privacy in the Past?: Exploring a Curatorial Conundrum

Judith Weiner

Chapter 20: Succession Planning for 21st Century Special Collections Leadership: Initial Steps

Athena Jackson

Chapter 21: Towards a Culture of Social Media in Special Collections

Colleen Thiessen

Afterword

Index

About the Editors and Contributors