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. To sign-up, send an email to donna.dimichele@olis.ri.gov

N.B. September Deadlines and Dates in this newsletter

Discover the State Library at the Rhode Island State House
October 2, 2019, 10 am - 12 pm

Do you know about all the resources held and curated by the State Library, a research library in a historic space with collections that date back to 1750? Megan Hamlin-Black, State Librarian, will give a presentation about the State Library’s special collections, including its new online resources, and how the library's collections can be accessed. She will also explain how the State Library provides services to and is a critical resource for the State Legislature. For more information and to register

Beginning in September 2019, special collections and archives job announcements will be posted only on the OLIS Jobline. Rather than forward the jobs to the SCRT Google Group as well as posting on Jobline, position openings will appear only on Jobline.

~ Donna DiMichele

New England Archivists, Spring 2020 Conference "Inside & Outside"

April 2-4, 2020, Providence, RI

Call for Proposals

Lighting the Way: illuminating the future of discovery and delivery for archives News release

Stanford University Libraries announced Lighting The Way: A National Forum on Archival Discovery and Delivery, a year-long project running from September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020, funded by the National Leadership Grants for Libraries program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Lighting the Way will convene a series of national meetings focused on enhancing discovery and delivery for archives and special collections.

Between October and December 2019, the project team will have an open nomination process for archives, libraries, and technology workers who wish to participate in the meetings and share their experience and challenges with archival discovery and delivery. Prospective participants are encouraged to nominate themselves or colleagues based upon interest and potential contributions. Project funding includes the potential for full support for a select number of meeting participants.

Learn more about Lighting the Way, including information on the project team, its goals, and its expected outcomes on the project website.

The RI Historical Society, RI Black Heritage Society, and the RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission are presenting an exhibit opening and panel discussion on The Power of Place in Civil Rights.

• Thursday, September 12, 2019, 6 pm
• Aldrich House (110 Benevolent St., Providence)
• Admission is free.
  

The exhibit, The Power of Place in Civil Rights, features the stories of significant places in Rhode Island pertaining to civil rights activities, people, and organizations. The speaking program will feature Nicole Tingle, Secretary of the Providence Branch of the NAACP. Architectural historians Laura Kline and Gretchen Pineo of the Public Archaeology Lab will also discuss their research and work in documenting seventy-six sites in Rhode Island significant to 20th-century civil rights. Questions? RIHS Events Calendar

The exhibit is on view during September and October at the John Brown House Museum.

Pawtucket Times 1880-1949

Pawtucket Library's Pawtucket Times newspaper online coverage encompasses Pawtucket and the surrounding Rhode Island cities and towns of East Providence, Cumberland, and Lincoln, and many villages in the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Online searchable access to this newspaper collection makes the local history of this historic region broadly available to researchers.

September is still peak hurricane season for southern New England. The Northeast Document Conservation Center compiled Hurricane Resources 2019 to support preparation for and recovery from these damaging storms. (NASA photo.)

For more resources see OLIS' Preservation and Disaster Planning pages.

The OLIS LibGuide on Security for Special Collections includes:

• ACRL/RBMS Guidelines Regarding Security and Theft in Special Collections
• ACRL/RBMS Guidelines for Interlibrary and Exhibition Loan of Special Collections Materials
  
• ALA Security LibGuide
• Society of American Archivists, Security Section
• Research Room Policies from RI Libraries and Historical Societies
• Selected Articles and Books on Library Security

The Special Collections LibGuide supplements the OLIS Special Collections Roundtable and Preservation & Disaster web pages.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is now accepting FY 2020 proposals for National Leadership Grants for Libraries (NLG-L) and Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (LB21). Applicants have through September 27, 2019 to submit their two-page preliminary proposals. More information

The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) lists many federal, state, and other national grant opportunities on its website. It’s a great source for keeping track of upcoming grant opportunities.

Federal Grants

State, Regional and Foundation Grants

Protecting America’s Collections: Results from the Heritage Health Information Survey, Institute of Museum and Library Services. Washington, D.C. the Institute, Feb. 2019

The report, Heritage Health Information Survey, provides selected updates from the Heritage Health Index of 2004 and assesses the preservation needs of today’s cultural heritage institutions with non-living, tangible, and digital collections. The report is free as a downloadable PDF.

As nature slowly begins to change into its fall attire, it seemed a good time to focus the News and Notes sections on human efforts to preserve nature’s gifts.

Images above: Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886. Herbarium, circa 1839-1846. 1 volume (66 pages) in green cloth case; 37 cm. MS Am 1118.11 Houghton Library, Harvard University.

Online collection

The birds and the bees Medieval manuscripts blog August 4, 2019

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago Academy of Sciences

Natural History Museum, London, England, Women Artists Collection

• OLIS Special Collections Roundtable web page

• Special Collections LibGuide

• RISpecialCollections@googlegroups.com Join for 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 to subscribe. It's your list, so use it to share what matters to you in the field of special collections and archives!

• Special Collections Roundtable Newsletter To subscribe, email to Donna Longo DiMichele

The Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) strengthens, connects and empowers libraries to advance knowledge, connect communities and enrich the lives of all Rhode Islanders. Funding for OLIS is from the State of Rhode Island and the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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