2013 Conference

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11213/8549

Presentation and materials from “O Rare! Performance in Special Collections,” the 54th Annual RBMS Preconference, Minneapolis, MN, June 23-26, 2013.

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2013 Preconference Miscellaneous Files
(2013)
Miscellaneous files relating to the 2013 RBMS Preconference, including registration forms and dining guides.
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Seminar B: Reviewing our (Classroom) Performance: Evaluating Special Collections Instruction
(2013-06) Thomas, Lynne; Horowitz, Sarah M.; Gardner, Julia; Taraba, Suzy
Evaluating and assessing student learning and experiences in special collections can help librarians tailor their teaching in the future, and can also help them determine whether students are meeting the learning outcomes set for their classes. However, creating assessment tools for special collections has often been a challenge. While there are many quick, popular tools for assessing library instruction, many of these do not lend themselves to special collections classes. This seminar will provide information on tying assessment to learning outcomes, course-level objectives, and discipline-specific competencies; the usefulness of both formal and informal means of assessment; and results of both anecdotal feedback and targeted assignments aimed at understanding students’ learning after class visits to special collections. We hope that attendees will come prepared to discuss their own ideas, experiences, and questions about special collection teaching and assessment.
Open Access
Seminar C: Bibliography in Action
(2013-06) Cloud, Gerald; Gaub, Andrew; Schreyer, Alice; Tabor, Stephen
This seminar features three speakers – a rare book curator, a special collections administrator, and an antiquarian bookseller – all of whom actively practice and disseminate bibliographical scholarship to broad audiences, including students, scholars, library researchers, book collectors, and other members of the bibliographic community. Each panelist will discuss a different purpose, methodology, and application of bibliographical research as conducted in their daily work, offering audience members a course of action when analyzing and interpreting local rare book holdings, writing catalog descriptions for the book trade, and leading collaborative projects in humanities research. This session is sponsored by the Bibliography Society of America.
Open Access
Cataloging Medieval Manuscripts, from Cassiodorus to Dublin Core
(2013-06) Cashion, Debra Taylor; Bair, Sheila; Steuer, Susan
The purpose of this workshop is to introduce librarians and collection managers to medieval manuscripts and discuss issues relevant to cataloging them. Medieval manuscripts are hand-crafted books or documents made in the medieval tradition, that is, without mechanical forms of reproduction, dating from about VI-XVI centuries. As information objects they differ essentially from most modern manuscripts because although they are unique objects, they are usually not unique texts. That is, from a FRBR perspective, they represent expressions of greater works, such as St. Augustine’s The City of God, in all of its translations, recensions and redactions. We thus propose a three-part conceptual model of medieval manuscripts as manuscripts, artifacts, and books, one that considers not only their literary content, but also their physical characteristics and historical background. Thus any catalog for medieval manuscripts should reflect their nature as complex information objects: texts, cultural artifacts, and historical artifacts. We will discover that for any cataloging system, the best records will follow a faceted structure based on three components: 1) Content, 2) Carrier, and 3) Context. To establish a historical and conceptual framework, we introduce our topic not only through examining various types of medieval manuscripts, but also through exploring the traditions of medieval library cataloging. We then discuss several existing platforms for cataloging medieval manuscripts and weigh the advantages and disadvantages to each, including MARC, EAD, VRA-Core. We especially examine the standards available for digital catalogs, including Digital Scriptorium, an online union catalog specifically designed for medieval manuscripts, and ENRICH (European Networking Resources and Information Concerning Cultural Heritage), here introduced with a newly crafted application to Dublin Core, the standard used for many local online digital environments, such as CONTENTdm. Through hands-on exercises the workshop participants will learn how to take a prose description of a manuscript and selectively parse the appropriate information into controlled descriptive data for various applications. Creating catalog records for collections with medieval manuscripts is especially important because the records must serve as surrogates for historically significant and valuable objects that require restricted physical access. It is thus no small challenge to create effective descriptions for medieval manuscripts, especially in the ever changing circumstances of digital technologies and library cataloging standards. We hope this workshop will encourage enthusiasm for these rare and fascinating library materials while taking some of the mystery out of managing them as information objects.
Open Access
Student Interns Perform Through Exhibits
(2013-06) Johnsen, Mary Catherine
This poster will show the “performance” of students in the Posner Internship Program as they research and install exhibits in a small special collections.
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Talks 10. Performance in Unlikely Places
(2013-06) Schroeder, Edwin C.; Dysert, Anna; Garland, Jennifer; Kochkina, Svetlana
“Anatomy Theaters, Legal Dramas, and Landscape Staging: Unexpected Performances in Special Collections”: This session will locate varying types of performances within three historically significant special collections, expanding the definition of what constitutes a performance collection and demonstrating new potential for these thematic research collections. Rare materials in law collections capture the drama and spectacle of the courtroom, while early modern anatomical atlases depict the human body on display in the theater of anatomy, the central prop of an intricate ritual performance. Architectural collections reveal an interest in mise-en-scéne and directing the body in space, creating both a design and a choreography. What further types of performance do these special collections in turn draw around themselves?
Open Access
Talks 9. Wikipedia and Libraries
(2013-06) Halvorson, Hjordis; Kosovsky, Bob; Cartwright, Ryan; McGhie, János; Proffitt, Merrilee
“Wikipedia and Libraries: a Special Relationship”: Wikipedia can be a highly influential source of information, and if libraries (and their unique holdings) were a part of Wikipedia, they would receive increased attention. Less publicized is Wikimedia’s GLAM-Wiki initiative. GLAM (an acronym for Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) is comprised of people whose purpose is to share their organizations’ cultural resources with the world through high-impact collaborations with experienced Wikipedia editors. A panel of four speakers who have engaged with Wikipedia or GLAM-Wiki will offer different viewpoints on how a variety of libraries, archives and similar organizations can collaborate with Wikipedia.
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II. Revaluing mimeographs and other obsolete things: an introduction to media archaeology
(2013-06) Hawley, Elizabeth Haven; Supple, Shannon
Dr. Hawley is an historian of technology and special collections professional whose scholarship focuses on the relationship of technological change to marginalized producers and communities. A specialist in historical printing and the social history of technology, she will introduce the interdisciplinary approaches employed by media archaeologists, especially those examining obsolete or “failed” technologies. Using forensic analysis, Hawley will explore the importance of reconstructing evidence about how less powerful social groups communicated and advanced their aims. Historical collections in libraries bring together past media with present and emerging technologies, offering an exceptional opportunity for interdisciplinary scholarship. She will discuss how knowledge of older technologies and the uses to which they were put comprises an important aspect of special collections practice and opens new avenues for education, engagement and scholarship.
Open Access
Talks 4. RDA
(2013-06) Dekydtspotter, Lori; Talley, Jennifer R.; Maxwell, Robert; Boyd, Morag; Lorimer, Nancy
“Rethinking Our Cataloging Choreography: Cataloging Special Collection Materials Using RDA”: Drawing from their expertise as current RDA special collections catalogers, panelists will share their experiences cataloging rare materials in the RDA environment, focusing on what works well in RDA for rare materials description as well as highlighting areas of the new standard where more guidance might be necessary. Panelists will share illustrative bibliographic examples and discuss how they reconcile DCRM(B) practice and the RDA standard in their own cataloging. Panelists will also share their insights on how to best proceed with revisions of DCRM as we work as a community to align with RDA’s framework.
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Photos from 2013 Preconference
(2013-06)
Includes: Image from Plenary II, Hawley; Image from Seminar D, Green; Image from Seminar F, Grob; Image from Cataloging Medieval Manuscripts Workshop
Open Access
Hidden Treasures: The Max and Gertrude Hoffmann Papers
(2013-06) Mulder, Megan; Petersen, Rebecca
This poster will focus on a “hidden collection” of famous vaudevillian and performing arts figures of the early 20th century uncovered during a survey of the Z. Smith Reynolds Library manuscript storage areas.
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III. Closing Plenary: “It’s Showtime, Folks!”: The Evolving Nature of Research and Public Engagement With Performing Arts Collections
(2013-06) Reside, Douglas L.; Taylor, Marvin J.; Jackson, Athena
Throughout the conference we have seen innovative and traditional performances and performing arts materials, both within and outside the library. For this closing plenary, let’s look back at what we learned and consider some of the things that can be done with materials in all of our collections. Marvin J. Taylor will speak about items found in almost all of our collections, theater materials. Who doesn’t have a play or two, or hundreds, in their collection? What special consideration do we have for these materials beyond normal books and pamphlets? Which researchers use these materials and for what? Douglas Reside will speak about performing arts materials within the digital age. What is missing in the digitization of materials unique to the performing arts such as set and costume designs, manuscripts, photographs, programs, and ephemera? Is there tactile information that is lost? What is gained? How can exhibitions, programs, and classes serve to animate performing arts collections? How can they be leveraged to provide a window into the possibilities of these collections?
Open Access
Talks 8. Theatre
(2013-06) Williams, Cherry Dunham; Brady, Susan; Koffler, Helice; Kurtz, Howard Vincent; Lee, Jennifer
“American Theatre Archive Project”: The American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP), an initiative of the American Society for Theatre Research, was established in 2009 to help active theater companies preserve their legacy by deploying regional teams composed of archivists, dramaturgs, and scholars throughout North America and developing a network of resources and community of practice around theater archives. This presentation will introduce attendees to the American Theatre Archive Project and its work with archivists, theater practitioners, and repositories to promote the preservation of America’s theatrical history.; “Costuming in the Federal Theatre: 1935 – 1939”: The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was established under the Works Progress Administration, during the first term of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Radical in concept, the FTP was the only large-scale effort ever undertaken by the U.S. federal government to organize theatrical events. This presentation will introduce the costume designers of the FTP, their original costume designs, and related archival materials deposited in the Special Collections of the George Mason University Libraries, the Library of Congress, and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.; “Joseph Urban Archive at Columbia University”: Joseph Urban (1872 – 1933) was the major U.S. stage designer of his day, working simultaneously for the Metropolitan Opera, Ziegfeld and other Broadway producers, and Hearst’s Cosmopolitan Pictures. This presentation will give an overview of Urban’s creative achievements; note the performers who worked on his sets for stage and screen, such as Kate Smith, Isadora Duncan, Duke Ellington, and Ezio Pinza; outline the work that Columbia has done in processing, conserving, housing, and imaging the archive; and explore ways that new imaging technologies may be able to digitally put back together the 340 set models that came with the archive.
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Talks 6. Interpreting History and Art
(2013-06) Smedberg, Heather; Myers, Ann K. D.; Myers, William Andrew; Thompson, D. Claudia
“What the Heck is This Thing? Opening Artists’ Books to the User”: This session will address some of the philosophical questions behind describing artists’ books. Thinking of cataloging as performance, how can catalogers best draw the connections between the artist’s intention, description of the object in hand, and the widely varying needs of the user? Book artist William Andrew Myers will show his work in progress, Alpha to Omega, describing the physical processes by which it is being made as well as the philosophical process behind its conception. Rare book cataloger Ann K. D. Myers will use this work as an example to explore ways of describing artists’ books with the goal of bringing users to the materials.; “Performing Outlaws”: Outlaws such as Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, and Billy the Kid have been embodied and performed in many different ways. Often the performances have violated history and frustrated teachers, historians, librarians, and archivists seeking to maintain and disseminate a true record of the past. How should curators of history cope? How should archivists and librarians document performances that may, or may not, have a historical basis? Should they distinguish between fiction and falsehood? This presentation will examine depictions of American, especially Western, outlaws, and look at how these performances are preserved in institutions such as the American Heritage Center.
Open Access
Discussion 4, Archivist and Librarian Roles in Building Trust with Donors and Patrons
(2013-06) Bryan, Ruth
The effectiveness of an archives or library for its donors and patrons is based in large part on their trust in both the place and the staff, in donors’ and patrons’ “willingness to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on positive expectations regarding the motivation and behavior of the other” (Pirson and Malhotra 2007). This trust is developed and built by librarians and archivists performing a variety of roles in order to develop collections and entice people to use them. These roles might include gatekeeper, event planner, booster, counselor, friend, activist, steward, and expert. This discussion session would be an opportunity to share case studies or stories about different roles each of us has played in relation to a particular donor or patron and exploring various questions that have arisen in our own experiences?
Open Access
Discussion 1, Directing without a Script: Strategies for Successful Technical Services Project Management
(2013-06) Mascaro, Michelle; DeZelar-Tiedman, Christine
Projects, such as retrospective barcoding, relocating collections, grants to catalog hidden collections, etc., are as common in Special Collections technical services areas as the day to day work of keeping up with new acquisitions. While the final goal of these projects is clearly defined, the path to reaching that goal requires creativity and improvisation. Technical Services projects often become complex production numbers, involving coordinating workflows and personnel. Effective management is essential to direct these projects through unanticipated challenges to completion. Participants in the session will discuss successes and lessons learned from managing past or current technical services projects.
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Talks 5. Music
(2013-06) Kelly, Mike; Wurtz, Michael; Wells, Veronica; Langham, Patrick
“Take Five: Integrating Music Collections and the Brubeck Collection into Undergraduate Library Instruction”: The Brubeck Collection at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California is an unsuspected font of information concerning the US during the Cold War and Civil Rights eras. Created by pianist Dave Brubeck (“Take Five”) and his wife Iola, it is one of the largest jazz archival collections. The staff and faculty have digitized large portions of the audio collection, worked carefully with history and conservatory faculty to integrate the Collection into undergraduate learning, created multiple exhibits focusing on Brubeck’s connection to social justice (including a talk and oral history program at the 2012 Monterey Jazz Festival), and sponsored yearly research travel grants to use the Collection. Veronica Wells, Access Services and Music Librarian, has aggressively promoted the use of all music collections to Conservatory faculty and to the music library community. Michael Wurtz, Archivist of the Brubeck Collection, manages the Collection from accession to accessibility. He has curated exhibits for local and nationwide use, managed a Grammy grant for digitization, and continues to work closely with the donors. Patrick Langham is a musician and jazz studies professor who encourages his students to use the library’s music collection and the Brubeck Collection in his jazz history and composition classes.
Open Access
Seminar D: There has to be a Better Way: Connecting Curators and Dealers in the Brave New World
(2013-06) Schaffner, Jennifer; Green, Daryl; Mann, Joshua; Johnson, Brad; Nadal, Jacob
Communication norms have changed radically and preferred methods for contact are not what they were in the worlds of special collections and antiquarian bookselling. Dealers would like to hear from newer librarians about the best ways to offer materials and engender working relationships. Likewise, professionals new to the world of special collections are sometimes unfamiliar with new or established best practices for business interactions with booksellers. In this seminar, younger speakers will present examples of new ways to work together, in order to ensure continuity and guarantee the future of our institutions and primary source materials. This session is sponsored by the William Reese Company.
Open Access
I. Opening Plenary: Submerged Voices in Underground Performance
(2013-06) Mann, Larisa; Reagan, Katherine; Ortiz, Ben
What are the practical and ethical issues involved when collecting institutions assume responsibility for documenting living cultures? Do marginalized communities have particular claims on the organization, identification and accessibility of documentations of their culture? What happens to our ability to understand and document communities when their cultural artifacts are removed from their living social contexts? How can an archive of underground music connect with and serve the community whose culture it archives, and how is its value measured? This panel will present two points of view about documenting music and performance: a perspective from Dr. Larisa Mann based in scholarship and practice from Jamaican dance music scenes, and an approach used within a special collections repository by Cornell University Library’s Hip Hop Collection.
Open Access
Talks 1. Performance in Literary Collections
(2013-06) Ott, Elizabeth; Melton, Robert; Burk, Wendy; Kukil, Karen; Daub, Peggy; Favretto, Cristina
“Performance and Performers in the Literary Archive”: Many traditional “literary” archives are home to the papers, recordings, printed ephemera, and artifacts of writers whose work has developed a strongly performative dimension. Whether they are referred to as spoken word artists, performance poets, or practitioners of performance art, their archives may present challenges as well as opportunities for the curators, archivists, catalogers, and administrators who work with them. This panel will feature several such professionals whose collections include one or more significant collections of such writer/performers.; “Performing Special Collections: Staged Readings Using Rare Books and Manuscripts”: This case study will outline innovative and creative ways to extend outreach to our collections via simply staged yet effective series of staged readings using rare books and archival collections. Examples include Duke University’s evening of staged readings titled “Cocktails and Contraceptives: Tales from the Bingham Center,” using a cast of actors that included theater students but also librarians, library staff, non-theatrical undergraduates and faculty, and community members. The University of Miami hosted an evening of similar readings culled from its Countercultural Literature Collection, which contains zines, brochures, and assorted ephemera documenting underground and “edge” movements from the 1960s to the present.

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