by Julie Tanaka, Curator, Special Collections, Western European History Librarian.
Natasha Lyandres and Julie Tanaka attended the 56th Annual Rare Books and Manuscript Section (RBMS) Conference on June 21-24, 2015 in Oakland and Berkeley, CA. This year’s conference, “Preserve the Humanities! Special Collections as Liberal Arts Laboratory,” was devoted to the roles special collections libraries have undertaken to shape teaching and research in the liberal arts. Natasha and Julie spent three-and-a-half days attending workshops, paper panels, and seminars as well as networking with rare book vendors, conservators, faculty, archivists, curators, librarians, and other rare book and special collections professionals. Here are some of the topics they learned about:
- digital infrastructure and curating digital exhibits for special collections libraries
- engaged collection development
- special collections as the liberal arts laboratory
- digital humanities and special collections: tools, challenges, and opportunities
- creating new partnerships with faculty, campus offices, and outside organizations
- leveraging technology to create virtual research environments
RBMS is a section of the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).