The National Archives have produced two really useful bits of guidance recently: Deaccessioning and disposal: guidance for archive services will help safeguard vulnerable collections by outlining legal issues and professional principles and practices. Guide to collaboration between the archive and higher education sectors has been produced jointly by TNA and Research Libraries UK. It offers … Continue reading Weeding and Working Together
Bye Bye Basement!
Fingers crossed and all that, my service, Special Collections at the University of Bradford, should get our long-awaited new premises in 2016. Hooray! Our project is part of a wider programme which will transform the lower floors of our 1970s Library to meet the needs of modern students. Before: rambling, dark mazes full of odd … Continue reading Bye Bye Basement!
Save our Sounds!
Sound recordings offer us extraordinary insights into the past. To take just one example from my own experience. I had read the text many times, but I never fully understood the popularity or impact of J.B. Priestley's Second World War radio broadcasts until I heard him speak. His homely, warm Yorkshire tones contrasted with the … Continue reading Save our Sounds!
Updates from you?
Meeting Medieval Manuscripts
Mystified by medieval books? I'm very impressed by a new series of online tutorials offering a fun and free introduction to these wonderful objects: how they were made and how they were used. Books and the dissemination of knowledge in medieval Europe was created by medieval book expert Erik Kwakkel. Any excuse to share an … Continue reading Meeting Medieval Manuscripts
How can unique and distinctive collections support University mission?
Delighted to share news of a report which should help anyone trying to make the case for investment in special collections. Or indeed considering whether they should invest in them ... Unique and distinctive collections: opportunities for research libraries is freely available online from the Research Libraries UK website. It's based on fieldwork I carried … Continue reading How can unique and distinctive collections support University mission?
The Pukka Pad and the Big Cake: #DCDC14 Conference Part 1
Discovering Collections, Discovering Communities, a joint effort by RLUK and The National Archives, is fast becoming a must-attend conference for archives and special collections folk. The idea? We face tough times and huge challenges: let's collaborate and find new ways to survive and thrive. The second in the series was held last week in the … Continue reading The Pukka Pad and the Big Cake: #DCDC14 Conference Part 1
Cataloguing Made Simpler: key rare book standards freely available online
Cataloguers rejoice! DCRM(B) and DCRM(S) are now freely available online. Here: Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books) http://rbms.info/dcrm/dcrmb/index.html Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Serials) http://rbms.info/dcrm/dcrms/index.html Print copies of these standards have been tricky to get hold of in recent years. This welcome initiative from the Library of Congress will save money, time and effort for … Continue reading Cataloguing Made Simpler: key rare book standards freely available online
Accredited!
Thrilled to announce that Special Collections at the University of Bradford has achieved Archive Accreditation! We are the first English university to reach this new standard. I'll blog about the experience for professional colleagues soon: why we applied, what we made of the process, and how we think it will help improve our service. And … Continue reading Accredited!
An Alien Territory? Local Studies versus Special Collections
Here's an interesting blog post by Tony Pilmer, a Local Studies librarian sharing what he learned from a year working in a library based in a think-tank/learned society. I agree: local studies and special collections work have masses in common. This is especially true of university special collections. I think I'm right in saying that … Continue reading An Alien Territory? Local Studies versus Special Collections
The Special Collections Handbook 