Special Collections Roundtable
Newsletter June 2019
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.
New Special Collection Titles in the OLIS Professional Collection
- Archives, Second Edition: Principles and Practices, by Dr. Laura A. Millar, 2017
- Collaborating for Impact: Special Collections and Liaison Librarian Partnerships, by Kristen Totleben, Lori Birrell, 2016
- Digital Curation, Second Edition, by Gillian Oliver, Ross Harvey, 2016
- Digital Preservation in Libraries: Preparing for a Sustainable Future (An ALCTS Monograph), by Jeremy Myntti, 2019
- Oral History in Your Library: Create Shelf Space for Community Voice, by Cyns Nelson, 2018
- The Special Collections Handbook, Second Edition, by Alison Cullingford, 2016
All titles are available through Ocean State Libraries.
For a full list of titles recently added to the OLIS Professional Collection, visit the OLIS website
Security Measures for Special Collections
Come to the Special Collections Roundtable meeting for a panel discussion on security practices for reading rooms and collection storage areas. REGISTER
Libraries, historical societies, and archives need security measures in place to assure that collections are protected when in use and shelved. Policies and procedures assure that adequate security measures are followed and that the repository has a strategy for responding to thefts. Security arrangements may vary from one institution to another and are dependent on staffing, physical setting, and use. The important thing is that there are security practices in place to meet your institution's needs. You'll leave this session better prepared to review your current policies and procedures and revise them to improve security for your collections!
After the meeting, there is an optional 1-hour (from 11:45 to 12:45) tour of the Jamestown Historical Society's Vault and Museum. The Vault and Museum are a short walk or drive from the Library (3-4 blocks).
Thursday, Jul 11, 2019, 09:30 AM
Jamestown Philomenian Public Library, 26 North Road Jamestown, RI 02835
Congratulations to Providence Public Library Special Collections
The library received a Division Three honorable mention in the 2019 Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab “American Book Prices Current” Exhibition Awards. The award was given to the exhibition catalog for “HairBrained,” curated by Sussy Santana, Angela DiVeglia, Kate Wells, and Jordan Goffin.
“This entry creatively and productively expands the boundaries of the exhibition catalogue by presenting original poetry that interprets and speaks in dialogue with the items in the exhibition. The catalogue’s visual design, moreover, makes the most of each compact page with vibrant, readable colors,” said Anna Chen, chair of the RBMS Exhibition Awards Committee and head librarian at the University of California-Los Angeles Clark Library.
Events & Professional Development Opportunities from Around the Region
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit
August 7, 2019
Presented by OLIS, RILA, URI-GSLIS, and Cornucopia.
Venue: The University of Rhode Island, Carothers Library
Registration and Agenda coming soon on the OLIS website.
Cambridge Open Archives
Dive into the tangled history of Cambridge (Mass.) politics and social activism by visiting 8 local archives from June 24-28. Free!
The Cambridge Historical Commission (Cambridge, Mass.) invites you to register for this year’s Cambridge Open Archives event. Cambridge Open Archives, sometimes called the Cambridge archives crawl, is an annual free event that offers members of the public the chance to visit a number of unique archives and collecting agencies in Cambridge. Each year, Open Archives is centered around a specific theme. This year’s theme is “Politics and Activism in Cambridge (and beyond).”
Archivists at each site will share treasures from their collections that tell complex and unique stories about dynamic politicians and dedicated activists; fights over highways and development schemes; a strong mayor vs. Plan E.
Recent Publications
“Low-Cost 8mm/Super 8 Film Digitization Using a Canon 9000F II Flatbed Scanner and Photoshop: A Case Study,” by Kenneth Eckert, Hanyang University (ERICA), Korea. Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies (JCAS) v.6, article 16. download the article
“Humanizing the Enslaved of Fort Monroe’s Arc of Freedom,” by William R. Kelly Jr., Casemate Museum, Fort Monroe, Virginia. Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies (JCAS), v. 6, article 12. download the article
Profiles of Academic Library Management of Digital Image Collections, Primary Research Group Inc. ISBN 978-1-57440-586-6.
The study looks closely at how four academic and other research libraries develop, archive, manage, distribute and assess their digital image collections and presents a summary of the history of major developments in digital image management strategy and practices in the recent past. The 59-page study is available as a PDF from Primary Research Group; a print edition is available for shipment. Site licenses are also available. Abstract, table of contents, excerpt and ordering information online.
News and Notes from Beyond the State
"University of Pittsburgh Acquires Romero Collection, To Found Horror Studies Center," Library Journal, May 30, 2019
"Preserving Black Paper Photograph Albums," The In-Depth Genealogist May 23, 2019
"NYPL’s Schomburg Center Acquires Collection of Hip-Hop Pioneer Fred ‘Fab 5 Freddy’ Brathwaite", Library Journal, InfoDocket May 24, 2019
"Germany to return papers of Kafka's friend Max Brod to Israel," France 24, May 21, 2019
"Before Netscape: The forgotten Web browsers of the early 1990s", arsTECHNICA, May 26, 2019
Connect with the RI Special Collections Community
- Join 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
RI Office of Library and Information Services
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
Phone: 401-574-9300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olisri/
Twitter: @olisri