49th Annual RBMS Preconference Program Seminars

Wednesday, June 25, 2:00-3:30 PM

A. Rare Book Cataloging: Making Decisions, Setting Priorities (Luxe Sunset I)
Sponsorship: Bibliographic Standards Committee

Geared toward those who make decisions about rare book cataloging -- curators, managers, administrators, catalogers -- this seminar will examine the variety of cataloging options available and will explore the factors to consider in making the decisions that determine cataloging policies. Decisions regarding cataloging policy have implications not only for researchers, but also for security, digitizing projects, and collection management. It will provide an overview of the issues, as well as case studies from two different institutions that have set rare book cataloging priorities based on the precataloging decisions and options established in Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books).

Speakers:

• Deborah J. Leslie, Folger Shakespeare Library
• E.C. Schroeder, Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
• Alvan Bregman, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Moderator: Randal S. Brandt, University of California, Berkeley, Bancroft Library

B. Developing and Sustaining Collecting Relationships with Cultural Communities (Luxe Sunset II)
Sponsorship: Diversity Committee

Universities and other institutions today often seek to collect and preserve materials created by cultural communities self-identified by race, ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, or manifold other criteria. While institutions dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage are often able to provide professional staff and climate-controlled facilities, the communities who have created and identify with collections often have concerns and additional requirements, including but not limited to disposition, access, and sensitivity to materials and potential users. Successful acquisition relies on addressing community concerns and building relationships. This seminar will address broad issues of relationship building through the examination of some specific community collections so that institutions can recognize if they are the best fit for such collections and, if so, what they can do to ensure a successful relationship.

Speakers:

• Jean-Nikolaus Tretter, GLBT Collection Specialist, Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies, Elmer L. Andersen Library, University of Minnesota
• Joan Krizack, University Archivist and Head, Special Collections Department, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
• Liza Posas, Reference Librarian, Braun Research Library, Southwest Museum of the American Indian, Autry National Center
• Introduction and Moderator: R. Arvid Nelsen, Archivist Charles Babbage Institute, Elmer L. Andersen Library, University of Minnesota

C. Teaching and Outreach in Special Collections: From K-12 to Undergraduates and Beyond (Luxe Sunset III)

In rare book and special collections libraries, outreach to expanded user groups requires creative planning and preparation beyond that usually needed for graduate students and faculty. This Seminar will examine three examples of successful instruction with original materials to each of three potential user groups: undergraduate students, K-12, and the public. The emphasis will be on practical methodologies and realistic goals to give the audience tools for expanding their own instruction and outreach. As well as offering examples of successful programs, this seminar will explore the ways in which the collections and students inform the approach taken by the instructors, be they teachers or librarians.

Speakers:

• Lisa Berglund, Associate Professor of English, Buffalo State College
• Yolanda Theunissen, Curator of the Osher Map Library, University of Southern Maine
• Pablo Alvarez, Curator of Rare Books, University of Rochester
• Moderator: Jennifer MacDonald, University of Delaware

Wednesday, June 25, 4:00-5:30 PM

D. An Overview of and Introduction to Archives Management Systems: Archivists' Toolkit and Archon (Luxe Sunset I)

The Archivists' Toolkit (AT) and Archon are two information management systems of potential value to archivists and manuscript curators. Each resource provides a range of functions, including resource description, authority control, location management, and the publication/export of descriptive information. Principal developers representing each project will provide an overview and introduction to their systems and answer questions. The session will be interactive, allowing both novices and those who have worked with AT or Archon or both an opportunity to ask questions about current and forthcoming functionality.

Speakers:

• Bradley D. Westbrook, AT Project Manager, University of California, San Diego
• Christopher J. Prom, Assistant University Archivist, University of Illinois Archives, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

E. Collecting Strategies: Working with Private Owners (Luxe Sunset II)

This seminar will provide perspectives on how to effectively work with potential donors who own collections of literary papers, books, or other documents of significant value. Participants will gain knowledge about the practical, ethical, and strategic dimensions of negotiations with donors/private sellers, from both curatorial and trade perspectives. The speakers will provide an overview of key issues during the first half of the session. The second half of the seminar will function as a discussion between the speakers and participants, providing the audience with the opportunity to share their own observations, questions, anecdotes, strategies, or dilemmas during an open microphone period.

Speakers:

• Leslie A. Morris, Curator of Modern Books and Manuscripts, Houghton Library, Harvard University
• Katherine Reagan (moderator), Ernest L. Stern Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, Assistant Director for Collections, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
• Joan Winterkorn, Bernard Quaritch Ltd.

F. Digital Photography on a Budget (Luxe Sunset III)

Forget state-of-the-art digitization projects. Library users want digital images of the materials of interest to them, and many libraries have limited budgets for providing this service. Speakers will address policy, procedures, and equipment for providing the digital images that patrons need for reference and publication use.

Speakers:

• Erika Dowell, Public Services Librarian, The Lilly Library, Indiana University (Moderator)
• James Stimpert, University Archivist, The Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University
• Mattie Taormina, Head of Public Services & Manuscripts Processing Librarian, Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries

Thursday, June 26, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

G. Preservation Decision-making and Priority Setting (Museum Lecture Hall)
Sponsorship: Curators and Conservators Discussion Group

The seminar will be focused on curators, collection development librarians, and others not trained as preservation administrators but nonetheless involved in setting priorities for a preservation budget. The objective of the seminar is to familiarize members with methods and techniques for determining preservation priorities in their collections, including the highest impact, most important, and most feasible actions.

Speakers:

• Donia Conn, Field Service Representative, Northeast Document Conservation Center
• Beth Doyle, Collections Conservator, Duke University Libraries
• Kristen St. John, Collections Conservator, UCLA Library Conservation Center

H. Bringing It All Back Home: Recovering from a Theft (Harold M. Williams Auditorium)
Sponsorship: Security Committee

Considerable attention has recently been focused on the recovery of stolen rare books, maps, and other rare materials. The panel will focus on lessons learned from recovery efforts following the Smiley map thefts and the Mimi Meyer rare book thefts (University of Texas), as well as what needs to be done to prevent the resale of stolen materials in the future.

Speakers:

• Richard W. Oram, Assoc. Director and Librarian, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin
• Michael Inman, Librarian, Rare Books Division, New York Public Library
• Detective Don Hrycyk, Art Theft Detail, Los Angeles Police Department

I. Blog Boot Camp: An Introduction to Blogging for Special Collections Staff (Herculaneum Room or Getty Research Institute Lecture Hall TBD)

This seminar will introduce blogs and blogging to attendees, and includes a mini-tutorial demonstrating how to quickly set up a blog using a free hosted server. The seminar will also host a frank discussion by panelists about why special collections staff might consider using a blog, how panelists conceived of and launched their own, lessons they've learned along the way, and how they've incorporated or experimented with other participatory web tools as part of their blogging. The seminar will include tips on how to assess whether a blog is a good fit for an institution, collection, or professional; hosting options; ideas on how to promote and generate content for a blog; and useful insight into how to maintain and think about blogging in a special collections context.

Speakers:

• John Overholt, Assistant Curator, The Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson and Early Modern Books and Manuscripts
• Nancy Kuhl, Associate Curator, Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
• Stephanie Horowitz, Charles Babbage Institute Archives, University of Minnesota
• Kathleen Burns, Archivist, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library