Sectional Focus, National Value: Why Regional Collections Really Matter

Abstract

Attention to Americana collections usually goes to the large academic and independent libraries that collect nationally. But the reality is that dozens of other institutions have built extraordinary collections of regional or one-state historical materials, and those libraries also serve important academic, popular, and research audiences. This session will look at the tradition of regional collecting in America and the role it can play in the library world in the 21st century. A representative panel of directors and curators of regional collections will talk informally about the challenges, opportunities, and initiatives that special collections libraries with a sectional focus will address in the years ahead.