2023 Conference
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11213/20419
Presentations and materials from “A New Kind of Professional“, the 63rd Annual RBMS Conference, Bloomington, IN, June 27-30, 2023.
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Item Open Access Video Thrilled the Biblio Star: Communicating Rare Books on Video(2023-06-30) Alvis, Allie; Porter, Dot; Ayling, TomBooks are more than the sum of their parts, with physicality being an important aspect of understanding and experiencing them. Video content can help bridge the gap between a relatively static digital experience and an active in-person experience, enhancing a viewer’s physical awareness of an object and allowing for evocative storytelling. This panel features three individuals engaged in producing rare book videos – one in YouTube videos, one in live videos, and one in TikTok. It will provide the audience with a better understanding of different kinds of video content, to help them make informed decisions about taking on video projects.Item Open Access Plenary 3: Verónica Reyes-Escudero & LaQuanda T. Onyemeh(2023-06-30) Reyes-Escudero, Verónica; Onyemeh, LaQuanda T.; Thacker, Juanita; Clifton, NadiaItem Open Access Perfidious assemblies, comma gremlins, & Greek: Collaboration in Transcribing the John Ward Diaries(2023-06-30) Schliep, Sara; Weinberg, Abbie; Wahl, Emily; Johnson, TaylorLibrarians from the Folger Shakespeare Library discuss their multi-year, collaborative transcription project that aims to make John Ward’s diaries, written in the mid 17th century, accessible to a broad audience. They will explain the training, workflows, and standards that have been set up to make the transcription project happen, the collaborations and resources that have been both used and created in the course of the project, and technical processes needed to make the transcriptions available.Item Open Access Lightning Talks(2023-06-29) Chim, Melissa; Gardner, Dr. Julia; Neely, Eisha; Dill, Diana; Withers, Clare; Watman, Nitzan; Robinson, Erin; Moros, EmmaTALK ONE: Melissa Chim. "The Many Hats of a Special Collections Librarian: What to Expect." TALK TWO: Eisha Neely and Dr. Julia Gardner. "Doing Less with Less." TALK THREE: Clare Withers and Diana Dill. "How Ya Doing? A Flexible Toolkit for Assessing Primary Source Learning Skill Acquisition." TALK FOUR: Nitzan Watman. "Meet a Rare Book." TALK FIVE: Erin Robinson. "Accessing the Past." TALK SIX: Emma Moros. "Work in the time of COVID: A student’s perspective on implications of remote work for including new professionals."Item Open Access Towards Special Collections Studies: Histories, Theories, Frameworks(2023-06-29) Watson, Bri; Theisen, Colleen; Modrow, Sebastian; Hubbard, Melissa; Shetler, BrianSpecial collections are incredibly diverse in their aims, impacts, and institutional structure. However, they are united by being poorly served terms of the policies, platforms, practices and metadata developed by and for other cultural heritage institutions. This panel brings together conversations reimagining the origins, meanings, and possible futures of special collections through four interconnected presentations, examining the evolution of the idea of "treasure rooms," addressing the legacies of cultural imperialism and white supremacy in special collections, the failure of special collections and archives to collect and archive themselves, and the impact of changing definitions and convergence of special collections on hiring, professional development, and retention. The panel aims to begin a larger conversation about the future of special collections and the ways in which they can be better served and understood.Item Open Access Teaching the Student and the Teacher: Developing Archival Literacies(2023-06-29) Leaman, Kristin; Harmeyer, Adriana; Shetler, BrianThis seminar will explore the outcomes of a recent collaboration to embed Archival and Primary Source Literacy into a Fall 2022 Freshman Composition course at Purdue University. Adriana Harmeyer, Archivist for University History, and Kristin Leaman, assistant professor and English Librarian, will discuss how they designed and taught a 3-week Archival and Primary Source Literacy module, challenges, benefits, and student feedback. Collaboration between archivist and faculty member being key to success, the speakers will present opportunities that come from this specific kind of collaboration, including training the course instructor on primary source literacy and creation of sustainable models for wider impact. Attendees will see tangible examples that they can amend and apply to their own curriculum.Item Open Access Mixed Paper Panel: Curatorial Reimaginings(2023-06-29) Savinetskaya, Irina; Meneses, Derek Christian Quezada; Hicks, CourtneyPAPER ONE: Irina Savinetskaya. "Broadening Perspectives on the Middle Ages by Applying a Reparative Framework to Special Collections." Archives and special collections enact power through collecting, exhibiting and interpreting objects in their care. Collections of medieval manuscripts in most U.S. institutions are reflective of collecting trends that were common in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America and have contributed to advancing perceptions of the Middle Ages that are largely Eurocentric, elite, and predominantly male. As a result, the diverse bodies of students on campus nowadays often find it difficult to engage with the materials and their subjects. This paper offers several ways of diversifying medieval collections by highlighting a variety of formats, languages, audiences, geographies, and subjects within them. PAPER TWO: Courtney Hicks. "Supporting Graduate Student Curators Within A Special Collections Environment." This session will discuss the process of collaborating and working with graduate student curators. By extending the opportunity for graduate students to take a leading role in curating special collections exhibitions, rare materials are activated in exciting new ways, ranging from approaching materials with different methodologies, honoring and amplifying the legacies of elders and ancestors from their communities, and creatively imaging new installation possibilities. PAPER THREE: Derek Christian Quezada Meneses. "Necrobibliomancy: Outreach, Instruction and Curation strategies for bringing underutilized early printed books back to life." This presentation will explore strategies to increase awareness and use of under-utilized early printed rare book collections at two universities, University of California, Irvine and the University of Southern California. The presentation will delve into effective outreach strategies, including partnering with community organizations, utilizing social media and videos, and developing unique programming to spark community engagement and interest. It will also introduce active-learning teaching methods, such as incorporating aids for storytelling, creating visual literacy, and curatorial skills through role-playing. The effectiveness of applying inclusive and diverse curatorial collection development strategies will also be discussed, with a focus on actively seeking out underrepresented perspectives and voices in the collection.Item Open Access Leaving a Paper Trail: Documenting Local Cataloging Practices(2023-06-29) Connick, Abigail; Mascaro, Michelle; Bridger, Alison; MacDonald, JenniferDocumenting local cataloging practices is essential to retain consistency throughout the catalog. Creating and maintaining this documentation can too easily become an afterthought, which is frustrating and troublesome to cataloging departments. In this session, we intend to share why you should advocate for taking the time to maintain cataloging documentation, supply the key elements to consider when building or updating your documentation, and suggestions for where this documentation can be shared.Item Open Access Critical Need for Critical Pedagogy: Primary Sources Teaching Fellowship Program at UNC-Chapel Hill(2023-06-29) Clifton, Nadia; Kader, Emily; Greenwell-McAnsh, Arai; Wolfson, Michelle; Bullard, Kelly; Perry, Donte; Boyce, Zachary; Guerrero, JoseThis panel highlights UNC’s Primary Sources Teaching Fellowship and features the perspectives of its fellows. The Fellowship offers funding and pedagogical training while building networks of support for new professionals from backgrounds underrepresented in the special collections profession who are interested in the field of library instruction. The Fellowship provides a grounding in critical pedagogy as well as tested methodologies for teaching with primary sources. Designed around an ethics of care, it offers graduate students the skills necessary to lead primary source interactions, and it provides resources and guidance on how to teach without ignoring power dynamics and difficult materials.Item Open Access Reimagining Donor Relations, Special Collections Outreach, and Critical Thinking(2023-06-28) Hatch, Landyn; Call, Elizabeth; Bassney, Katharine; Decker, Juilee; Feldman, NicoleThis virtual seminar will include a panel discussion regarding the 2022-2023 outreach initiatives developed for the B. Thomas Golisano collection in the RIT Archives that are similarly replicable at other university repositories with their own under-utilized, “dusty” collections. The Golisano collection’s namesake, Blase Thomas “Tom” Golisano (b. 1941) is the entrepreneurial founder of Paychex, a three-time candidate for the Governor of New York, and a billionaire philanthropist who has given more than $330 million to various causes in Western New York and Southwest Florida. Featured perspectives will include those of collaborative partners, the RIT Archives and the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation, as well as the perspectives of RIT community members; including, a university advancement professional, a faculty member, and a student. Seminar attendees will take away an understanding of how to enhance their existing relationships with donors and campus audiences to generate more collaborative opportunities, and will complete a “hands-on” Zoom activity that models critical thinking strategies with Golisano collection materials for an undergraduate classroom. Moderated by Melissa Nykanen.Item Open Access Raising Her Voice: Collecting, Digitizing, and Teaching with Diverse Archival Collections(2023-06-28) Pine, Candace; Johnson, Jacqueline; Sutton, JazmaThe presenters will discuss the collections of two African American women: Dr. Carolyn Jefferson Jenkins and Jennie Elder Suel, and how we plan to use their collections to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in our archives, and in the classroom. Dr. Jefferson Jenkins is an educator and voting rights activist. Her collection is currently the subject of a digitization project. Jennie Elder Suel donated freedom papers, as well as other historical materials documenting black life in the early 19th and 20th century. Suel’s collection showcases what Dr. Sutton has termed descendant archival practices—a method that reveals new ways of writing histories of 19th-century Black women in the rural Midwest and acknowledges the preservation and memory work of Black women elders as an alternative to mainstream archives.Moderated by Jessica Gavilan.Item Open Access Diversity Fellowships: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly(2023-06-28) Ciaellela, Erica; Cancro, Polly; Franklin, ReneeWith the increasing attention to DEAI in the cultural heritage sector, “diversity” fellowships have become a popular approach to diversifying the field. But do they really work? Or are they temporary fixes for deeper issues that remain unaddressed? This conversation will interrogate these approaches to diversification and look beyond them to expose the roots of the problem. We will consider case studies and amplify first-hand accounts from participants in such fellowships. As we collectively think about the future of cultural heritage work, it is imperative that we invest in opportunities for new colleagues that require and generate sustained, substantive change. Moderated by Polly Cancro.Item Open Access The Power of New Voices(2023-06-28) Armendariz, Anastasia; Warner, Lia; Opryszko, Anna; Kramer, Ruth; Carey, Fallon; Garlock, SamanthaTALK ONE: Anastasia Armendariz. "Feeling what we Teach: Mitigating the Emotional Labor Slide in Affect-Based Instruction." TALK TWO: Lia Warner. "Archiving Against Professionalism: The Role of Description." TALK THREE: Anna Opryszko. "Practical Book History: Making an MLIS Practicum Work For Me." TALK FOUR: Ruth Kramer. "The Necessity of Embracing Collection Gaps." TALK FIVE: Fallon Carey, "The Time Is Now: Documentation Strategy Approach to U.S. Indian Boarding School Healing Events." TALK SIX: Samantha Garlock, with Katie Dunn. "Public-facing statements on harmful language in library description: recommendations for implementation." Moderator: Diane Dias de FazioItem Open Access Second Plenary(2023-06-28) Ettarh, Fobazi; Thadani, SimranSecond Plenary: Ettarh Fobazi and Simran Thadani on the subject of "Systems of Loss: Why we Leave"Item Open Access Metadata as Outreach: Using New Data Visualization Tools to Reimagine Collections(2023-06-28) Stevens, Gioia; McCormack, Allison; Wegner, Alia Levar; Bales, Amber; Sherwood, JesseLibraries create and collect mountains of data that too often remain siloed in catalogs and other niche databases. This panel presents three projects demonstrating how library metadata can be repurposed as a powerful tool for outreach. Data visualization offers an especially cogent way for patrons, administrators, and staff members to better understand collections and resources. Ranging in scope from solo endeavors to undertakings that span multiple university entities, each project showcases different technology and tools for reusing, analyzing, and visualizing metadata. Moderated by Emily GroverItem Open Access Addressing Occupational Health and Safety Hazards: How to Protect Yourself and Your Staff(2023-06-28) O'Dell, Allison Jai; Luong, Michael VinhOccupational health and safety hazards in special collections and archives derive from the nature (and maturity) of the collections themselves — that we collect old stuff, and often, keep it in old spaces. In defense of history, we wage a never-ending war against mold, asbestos, bedbugs, silverfish, dim lighting, rickety staircases, failing HVAC systems, and the tenuous threat of death by halon, never mind COVID. How many of us have suffered respiratory distress, lifelong allergies, or physical disability as a result of our work in special collections and archives? Moderated by Amanda SprochiItem Open Access Opening Plenary Address(2023-06-27) McGuirl, Erin; Warren, KelleeOpening Plenary addresses by Erin McGuirl and Kellee Warren on the theme of Education in Action. Moderated by Liz Ott.