The Digital Age Comes to the Ivory Tower - <i>A visit to some public and private special collections

- by Susan Halas

De-accessioning
Though some local libraries in a scramble to make space may throw out, give away or sell duplicates or unwanted contributions, this is seldom the case in the more rarified world of special collections. "We don't de-accession," said Minnesota's Hedin, "not even duplicates. Once we acquire it for our specialty it's here forever."

Reach AE Monthly writer Susan Halas halas@hawaii.rr.com

LINKS & RESOURCES to the people and collections mentioned in this story:

Anthony "Tony" Bliss
Curator, Rare Books and Literary Manuscripts
Bancroft Library at the University of California Berkeley
abliss@library.berkeley.edu
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/info/
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/collections/

Alice Schreyer
Director, Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library
schreyer@uchicago.edu
www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/

Katherine Hedin
Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections
University of Minnesota Law Library
k-hedi@umn.edu
http://library.law.umn.edu/riesenfeldcenter.html

Lou Pitschmann
Dean, University Libraries, University of Alabama
lpitschm@ua.edu
Publishers bindings:
http://bindings.lib.ua.edu/sitesearch.html
http://www.lib.ua.edu/libraries/hoole/collections/
These are just two of the many special holdings and libraries at Alabama

Liza Kirwin,
Curator, Archives of American Art (Smithsonian Institution)
Washington DC and NYC
kirwinL@si.edu
http://www.aaa.si.edu/

Gina Olaya
Director, Tribal & Public Relations
Cherokee Nation Entertainment, Oklahoma
gina.olaya@cnent.com No web site

EXLIBRIS - an online listserv for libraries and special collections
Join or leave EX LIBRIS listserv
https://listserv.indiana.edu/cgi-bin/wa-iub.exe
Contact moderator Everett Wilkie
ewilkie@ix.netcom.com

Resources at the University of Virginia
Many members of the faculty at the University of Virginia Rare Books School are special collections staff. Here is a list
http://www.rarebookschool.org/faculty/
An alphabetical list by name of institution of many special collections is also at their site: http://www.rarebookschool.org/directories/#A

Other Links
Rare Books and Manuscripts Librarianship
http://www.rbms.info/publications/rbml/index.shtml

FAQ rare books
http://www.rbms.info/yob.shtml

Fine Books and Collections
http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/