Special Collections Roundtable

A newsletter for members of the RI library community who have responsibility for the care and access of unique or rare manuscripts, records, books, audio and/or visual materials, local history and other special collections.

Stay tuned for an opportunity to share your ideas for presenters or topics for the 2018-2019 Special Collections Roundtable meetings. I will be sending a "data collection tool" to the RI Special Collections Google Group. Please use it to help me put together your ideas for the coming year. It's your group - help plan for the topics/speakers that meet your needs.

Donna DiMichele

Important Announcement

Click on the link below for an important message from NEDCC about upcoming upgrades to dPlan and RI-dPlan. OLIS will keep you informed of the transition to the new platform and any necessary actions on your part.

What needs your attention now: Multiple RI-dPlans

Many RI libraries and cultural heritage organizations have more than one RI-dPlan in the registry. Please identify your current/active RI-dPlan and the inactive ones, then notify OLIS of the same. Send the information to ridplan@lorinet.info and use RI-dPlan in the subject line.

If you’re not sure if your library or cultural heritage organization has multiple RI-dPlans or if you have other questions, contact Donna DiMichele

NEDCC News for dPlan Users – Upgrade Coming Soon!

New England Archivists (NEA) invites submissions of session proposals for the Fall 2018 Meeting. The theme is "Our Common Code: Ethics in the Archives." The meeting will take place at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, on Friday, October 26, 2018. The deadline for proposals is July 15, 2018.

Questions? Contact the Program Chair, Juliana Kuipers

The SAA-ACRL/RBMS Joint Task Force on the Development of Standardized Holdings Counts and Measures for Archival Repositories and Special Collections Libraries is pleased to announce the release of its revised draft Guidelines for Standardized Holdings Counts and Measures for Archival Repositories and Special Collections Libraries.

The Guidelines are the product of the Task Force’s efforts to analyze, incorporate, and address community feedback received in response to its draft release between January 11 and March 3, 2017, and as summarized in the Task Force’s July 20, 2017 Annual Report to the Standards Committee.

Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions

There are two deadlines for this opportunity. New projects and projects currently receiving funds from the NHPRC may apply at either deadline.

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals to publish documentary editions of historical records. Projects may focus on the papers of major figures from American history or cover broad historical movements in politics, social reform, business, military, the arts, and other aspects of the national experience. The historical value of the records and their expected usefulness to broad audiences must justify the costs of the project.

This program has two deadlines:

• Final Deadline: June 13, 2018

• Final Deadline: October 4, 2018

Behind the Scenes in Cambridge!

Cambridge Open Archives, sometimes called the Cambridge archives crawl, is a free event in which members of the public are invited behind the scenes at various Cambridge archives, libraries, and collecting institutions. This year is the 10th anniversary of Cambridge Open Archives and features two weeks of visits to 15 libraries and archives around Cambridge.

You'll get to see rarely displayed items, hear their stories, and chat with other archivists, librarians, and curators. On June 21, Houghton Library will host a special closing reception featuring their new exhibit.

Though this event is free, space is limited, so please sign up here

More information, contact Emily Gonzalez, Archivist, Cambridge Historical Commission

The Connecting to Collections Care Online Community helps smaller cultural institutions to provide well-informed care for their valuable collections. All content in the C2C Care Community, with the exception of special courses, is provided for FREE. This service is a program of the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Artistic and Historic Works and is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Sign up for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission bi-monthly newsletter. Not sure if its something you're interested in? Here is a link to the April 2018 issue.

Bringing Harassment Out of the History Books: Addressing the troubling aspects of Melvil Dewey's legacy

“Though his moniker is absent from modern headlines, there’s one harasser whose name is known to librarians everywhere: Melvil Dewey. In the #MeToo era, how should the library profession handle Dewey’s legacy, tainted as it is by sexism and racism?”
Anne Ford, Americanlibrariesmagazine.org, June 2018

How to Protect Rare Books and Manuscripts from the Ravages of Climate Change

Pride Month: 50 Must-Read Books About LGBTQ History from BOOKRIOT

Moving Toward a Reparative Archive: A Roadmap for a Holistic Approach to Disrupting Homogenous Histories in Academic Repositories and Creating Inclusive Spaces for Marginalized Voices. Lae’l Hughes-Watkins. The Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies v.5, article 6. https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol5/iss1/6/

Getting to Tier 1 by Revitalizing a Special Collections Program with Cultural Competence. Mark L. Shelstad. The Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies, v.5, article 8. https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol5/iss1/8/

JAS Book Reviews

Curators: Behind the Scenes of Natural History Museums. https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol5/iss1/5/

Queer Library Alliance: Global Reflections and Imaginings https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol5/iss1/4/

JCAS is a peer-reviewed, open access journal sponsored by the Yale University Library, New England Archivists, and Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Members can post to the RISpecialCollections@googlegroups.com discussion forum! It's a convenient way to communicate with others who work with special collections and archives in Rhode Island libraries, historical societies, museums, and cultural heritage organizations. Use the link above to subscribe. It's your list, so use it to share what matters to you in the field of special collections and archives!

To subscribe to Special Collections Roundtable News and Notes newsletter, send an email to Donna Longo DiMichele

The Office of Library and Information Services strengthens, connects and empowers libraries to advance knowledge, connect communities and enrich the lives of all Rhode Islanders.

Website: www.olis.ri.gov
Location: One Capitol Hill, Providence, RI 02908
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