Rare Books and Special Collections
April 3, 2007
Last week a attended an RRLC workshop on rare books and special collections lead by Pablo Alvarez, curator of rare books at the Rush Rhees Library of the University of Rochester. I was fascinated as he took us through the history of books with examples from the collection. I had a fair background before the workshop and was stunned at how much I hadn’t known.
I walked away with some new ideas. Pablo contacts professors when he has an item he believes would be helpful to a course and offers to do a session on the topic. I have jumped at opportunities to interact with class when they have come to me, but I’ll try to be more proactive.
Pablo does a online exhibit he calls “Book of the Month” where he has digital images and gives background on special items in his collection.
He recommended at online brochure from ALA Rare Books Section on “Your Old Books.”
As he was talking about special collections I had the thought that some day we could pull the books given to Hobart College by Rev. Benjamin Hale from the S.C.C. to make a special collection.
It was great to network with others “in the business”, as always.
