Up in rare book librarianship

Since there virtually are no available specialized trainings on rare book librarianship in the country, it is very likely that the librarians who are being or will be assigned to manage our rare. Law librarianship graduate certificate school of information. The london rare books school lrbs is a series of fiveday, intensive courses on a variety of bookrelated subjects taught in and around senate house, university of london. Since september 2009, she has been the librarian for the librarys rare book division, located in the stephen a. Distance to the contrary notwithstanding, they may decide to show up. An interview with nathan dorn, rare book technician. Rare book librarianship by roderick cave, hardcover.

Four rare books, a timeline, a map, and a page from harpers weekly close up of the map from perrines new topographical war map of the southern states with a chronology of the great rebellion. Winston coleman, jr perrines new topographical war map of the southern states with a chronology of the great. The nature, care and handling of historical materials. Bachelor of library and information science blis the blis program is designed to prepare students for career opportunities in professional librarianship, research, training, publishing and book trade, public relations, consultancy, and informationrelated business. In educating librarians, the school emphasized the practical elements of librarianship over the theoretical.

Prior to this appointment, he worked for six years as librarian incharge of nypls rare book division. Was picking up this book an experience of all the senses. The book almost serves as a manual for those who are new to studying the field, laying out all the practices to be addressed and issues one may face. With many most collections, youre going to end up cataloguing a book in a language you dont know at.

A good deal of writing has been done on preserkation of library materials, especially important in rare book collections partly because. Although its full of facts, the book is written in a light, easytoread style. Terry belanger, founding director of the rare book school at the university of virginia, wrote a great article on rare book librarians. London rare books school institute of english studies. Public services and outreach in rare book, manuscript, and. Provides a bibliography of reference resources for rare book librarians includes sideba. Silver within the last few years, there has been an increased demand for rare book librarians, a demand which, in the opinion of many, should be supplied by the library schools. List of books and articles about librarianship online. The school opened up to women and librarianship became a femaledominated career. He also served as a visiting professor at pratt institute from 2007 through 2012, where he taught courses on printing history, bibliography, and special collections librarianship. Of arl rare book librarians in 1992, 60% were men earning an average of 20% more than women in the same specialty. An interview with nathan dorn, rare book technician in. A journal of rare books, manuscripts, and cultural. Jessica pigza joined the new york public library staff in 2006.

Another chapter describes ways to determine if a book by a certain publisher is a first edition. Over the course of fourteen weeks, we will define rare books and special collections, learn about the different types of materials housed in special collections, and talk about what it means to be a rare book and special. Working with old books seemed a lot more interesting than any of my other job options, so i stayed on until i graduated, then went off to indiana university to get my mls, specializing in rare books and manuscripts librarianship. Jessica pigza mixes it up with rare books, crafts and.

Palmer schools coursework is designed for students intending to pursue careers in research libraries, cultural institutions and the book trade. The library holds the special collections of columbia university, as well as the columbia university archives. Philippine librarianship presented at cornell university, ithaca, new york. Library trends, summer 2003 focused on special collections. Students develop proficiency in rare book librarianship, the history of the book, rare book cataloging and descriptive bibliography, preservation, archival techniques, and exhibition planning. Rare book librarianship for the 21st century is the first new rare books handbook of practice in 25 years. Courses in special collections librarianship rbms rare books. Rare book librarianship and historical bibliography 217 2010 and published in interim form as part of the unique and distinctive collections project in 2012. Although more than 20 years old, the article still has great information. The focus of this book is on collecting modern first editions. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Even if you cant find a special collections or rare books librarianship role maybe look at the various aspects of the work and try to build up your.

Jessica pigza mixes it up with rare books, crafts and social media. It also includes tools for librarians like the new librarianship mooc used by over 3,000 participants and nonlibrarians like expect more. What is so rare issues in rare book librarianship core. In fact, the book arts element of rare books librarianship was one facet of. In 1887, the melvil dewey school of librarianship at columbia university opened. This handbook provides that essential information in a single volume. Prior to this appointment, he worked for six years as librarianincharge of nypls rare book division. Rare books in scotland have run workshops in the past on latin for rare books librarians, and have a guide published here link goes to pdf, which includes links to other resources, including information about place names and a word list. Each year, rbs offers about 30 fiveday courses on these subjects. Rare book school rbs is an independent nonprofit organization based at the university of virginia uva supporting the study of the history of books, manuscripts, and related objects. Geoffrey d smith successfully managing rare book collections requires very specific knowledge and skills.

Educational opportunities for those seeking a career in rare book and manuscript librarianship are so numerous and diverse, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pinpoint them. The range of the librarys holdings spans more than 4,000 years, from cylinder seals created in mesopotamia to contemporary artists books. A recent donation of five travel scrapbooks that once belonged to a former grosvenor library staff member have been added to the many unique collections in the grosvenor rare book room. Review of galbraith and smiths rare book librarianship. This course is meant as a practical introduction to the field of rare book and special collections librarianship. Modern digital technologies and a growing interest in the history of the book as an academic discipline have refocused attention on rare and historic materials.

Special collections librarianship rare book school. Courses in special collections librarianship rbms rare. We share common experiences and common pleasures, but there is nothing common about us. These opportunities range from formal academic programs leading to a graduate degree, to singleday workshops or seminars. Successfully managing rare book collections requires very specific knowledge and skills. Authored by two special collections experts with extensive field experience, this book is also the first to discuss the role of digital technologies in managing a rare book collection. Most of this book went in one ear and out the other. I ended up being hired by the special collections department because they needed somebody who could read music. Heads of circulation were 60% women and overall this specialty is paid 20% less than rare book librarianship. What is a rare book and special collections librarian and what do. This approach is detailed in the atlas of new librarianship, and is being extended in the forthcoming radicals guide to new librarianship. While we certainly do not taste our books, there is no way to avoid having an otherwise full sensory experience when entering rare books and special collections. Some offer degrees with particular concentrations, such as archival studies or rare books librarianship.

Its not that it didnt have anything meaningful or important to offer the reader, the problem was that so much of the material has become outdated, and working in a public library where we have a rare book room i was hoping for some guidance or insight into managing materials. Rare book and special collections librarianship lis 7. The context focused is the management of rare books and special. Most of the courses are offered at its headquarters in charlottesville, virginia but others are held in new york city, washington, d. Rare book librarianship by roderick cave goodreads. But rare book librarianship is a field of specialization and deserves to be treated as such. Law librarians work in a variety of settings including law school and university libraries, law firm and corporate libraries, state and federal agency and court libraries, and archives and rare book libraries. Rare book librarianship by galbraith and smith is a great introduction to the career and expectations of a rare bookspecial collection librarian.

Learn more about rare book and special collections librarians. However, if you plan to collect rare, old books then this text may not be the best for you. Demanding better libraries for todays complex world. Law librarianship offers several niches and specializations including foreign and international law, government documents, patents.

The membership and professional development committee of rbms has stated that substantial rare book or archival experience can be gained if students approach their course of study creatively, through internships and independent study for example, by taking general courses in librarianship, slanting their work toward special. Rare book and special collections librarianship palmer school of library and information science, long island university professor chris filstrup syllabus spring 2011 rare book librarians are a happy breed of men and women. What is a rare book and special collections librarian and. Did it make a sound when opened a crisp snap of a neverbeforeopened spine or the dull groan of wellworn binding. London rare books school 2020 will take place from 15 19 june week one, 22 26 june week two, and 29 june 3rd july week three. Apply to librarian, archivist, rare book cataloger full time through june 2021 and more. Rare book and special collections long island university. Cullingford opens with conservation, and works up gradually to the more political topics of. Posts about librarianship written by seth grosvenor. This is a major area of discussion for rare book librarians.