Paper proposals for the 55th Annual Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) Preconference are due Dec. 16. Held June 24-27, 2014, in Las Vegas, the preconference, themed Retrofit: Exploring Space, Place and the Artifact in Special Collections, will consider the broad metaphorical themes of space, place, and the artifact in the special collections milieu inspired by the RBMS preconferences and meetings of the early 1960s.
While special collections practices may have changed over the last 50 years, our core issues echo the challenges faced by our predecessors. Financial problems? Cataloging and classifying? Acquainting the public with rare materials? Special collections professionals today regularly confront challenges in the development of collections, the creation and use of space, and the definition of our roles within the larger contexts of institutional administration and intellectual life. Focusing on the artifact, the library/archive, and the marketplace, RBMS aims to honor the past by addressing ways to “retrofit” ideas concerning these spaces and places fifty years ago and how pertinent these concepts are today.
Registration opens in February 2014. More information is available on the preconference website.