The Special Collections Handbook by Cullingford, Alison;

Short description:

Comprehensive and written in a highly accessible manner, The Special Collections Handbook, Third Edition will be an essential resource for staff working with special collections in a wide range of settings, including academia, public libraries, religious organisations, museums, and at scales from solo librarians to 'nationals'.

Long description:

The Special Collections Handbook, Third Edition is a comprehensive desk reference providing the essential principles, skills, and knowledge to manage special collections in any setting and covering all aspects of special collections work: preservation; developing collections; understanding objects; emergency planning; security; legal and ethical concerns; cataloguing; digitisation; marketing; outreach; teaching; impact; advocacy, and fundraising. This new edition has been revised and updated to incorporate the many developments in the field, reflecting the growth and dynamism of the sector and the complexity of the environment in which we operate. This will include:

• Enriched and updated guidance on decolonising collections management and all other elements of special collections work


• working towards zero-carbon buildings, preservation, and other aspects of special collections work


• lessons/impact of Covid-19: managing remote access by staff and users, emergency planning, health and safety, risk assessments


• new legislation affecting special collections, notably in the UK the Data Protection Act 2018


• new and revised standards, such as the new British Standards relating to collections care, BS EN 16893 and BS 4971, which replace PD5454


• new and emerging technologies in collections discovery, digitisation, digital resource and digital libraries, and how to manage them and build capacity. Particular attention will be paid to the implications of the 'digital shift' and the place of special collections in online and hybrid learning.

Comprehensive and written in a highly accessible manner, The Special Collections Handbook, Third Edition will be an essential resource for staff working with special collections in a wide range of settings, including academia, public libraries, religious organisations, museums, and at scales from solo librarians to 'nationals'.

Table of Contents:

Part 1: Discovering collections 1. Understanding objects in Special Collections Part 2: Collections management 2. The care of Special Collections 3. Emergency planning for Special Collections 4. Acquiring and developing Special Collections 5. Cataloguing, description and metadata in Special Collections 6. Digitization and digital libraries in Special Collections Part 3: Managing public access 7. Legal and ethical issues in Special Collections 8. User services in Special Collections 9. Marketing and communications in Special Collections 10. Widening access to Special Collections 11. Using Special Collections in education Part 4: Governance and resources for Special Collections 12. Special Collections spaces 13. Organizational resources for Special Collections: people 14. Influencing and fund-raising for Special Collections Appendix A: The Special Collections reference shelf Appendix B: Skills for your Special Collections career Appendix C: Latin and palaeography