Contact: Tory Ondrla, CMP
Meeting and Special Events Planner
(312) 280-2515
tondria@ala.org
For Immediate Release,
February 27, 2008
Registration opens for 49th Annual RBMS Preconference
CHICAGO - Registration is now open for the 49th Annual RBMS Preconference, "Rare and Special Bytes: Special Collections in the Digital Age." The preconference is organized by the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and sponsored by the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Getty Research Institute. The preconference will be held June 24-27, in Los Angeles, Calif., preceding the 2008 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. This national preconference will explore the role of special collections in an increasingly digital world. Program, registration, housing and scholarship information are now available online at:
http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/RBMS/index.htm.
The two-and-a-half-day program will include a series of plenary sessions that address aspects of special collections in the digital environment, including intellectual property issues, scaling selection and access and the use of digitized holdings in the classroom. Additional seminars will cover topics such as cataloging rare books, digitizing photographs, collecting materials documenting under-represented groups and Weblogs.
“The 49th RBMS Preconference will feature stimulating plenary sessions and seminars of relevance to everyone in the special collections community,” said Kris Kiesling, Chair of the Preconference and the Elmer L. Andersen Director of Archives and Special Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries.
Two full-day workshops will also be offered on Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO) and the Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books). Participants will enjoy a full day at the Getty Center, including conference programs and free time for tours of the Getty Research Institute, Getty Conservation Institute conservation labs, Getty Museum Manuscripts Department and the Paper and Manuscripts Conservation labs. A gallery talk on the current Manuscript Department exhibit and self-guided tours of the museum and gardens will also be available.
At least 12 scholarships, a more than $10,000 value, will be offered to subsidize first-time preconference attendees. Registration rates are $235 for members; $280 for non-members; and $95 for current, full-time students. A $50 late fee will be added to registrations after May 21. Questions may be addressed to Tory Ondrla at
tondrla@ala.org.
ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 13,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments.