Arnold Hirshon - Forging the Future of Special Collections

O n October 21 and 22 of 2014, the Kelvin Smith Library of Case Western Reserve University organized and hosted a colloquium on the past, present, and future of special collections in libraries. At that highly successful event there were over 200 librarians, booksellers, book collectors, donors, and auction house representatives in attendance who came from nineteen states of the United States and two provinces in Canada. We believe the colloquium was a milestone event in assessing the past and projecting the future of special collections.

This book, while motivated by the excellent presentations given during the colloquium, stands apart from it, organized not chronologically around past, present, and future, but rather around a new set of themes. In addition, many of the authors have expanded significantly upon their original remarks. Nonetheless, you as the reader are likely to detect a bit of the flavor (and sense the excitement) of the original colloquium in each of the chapters.

No colloquium nor publication such as this is the work of a single individual. As one of the co-organizers and coeditors, I would also like to express particular thanks to some of the people who provided guidance and support along the way.

The cochairs of the colloquium, who are also now the coeditors of this publication, benefitted greatly from the work of a Planning Committee, whose members included Michael Clune (Associate Professor, English, Case Western Reserve University); Daniel Cohen (Associate Professor, History and Art, Case Western Reserve University); Jenifer Neils (Elsie B. Smith Professor in the Liberal Arts, Case Western Reserve University); Alice Schreyer (then at the University of Chicago, and now the Roger and Julie Baskes Vice President for Collections and Library Services at the Newberry Library); Joel Silver (Director and Curator of Books, Lilly Library, Indiana University Bloomington); and Jill Tatem (University Archivist, Case Western Reserve University).

I am also greatly appreciative of the support of the three collaborating partner universities that launched the colloquium, and their superb library directors: Mary Ann Mavrinac at the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries, Joseph (Jody) Combs at the Vanderbilt University Libraries, and my longtime colleague and good friend, Jeffrey Trzeciak at the Washington University in St. Louis Libraries. In addition to the very generous sponsors who made the original colloquium possible, I want to give very special thanks to our extraordinary staff at the Kelvin Smith Library, and particularly Gina Midlik, Angela Sloan, and Melissa Hubbard and the continuing members of her Special Collections and Archives Team: Nora Blackman, Helen Conger, Sharlane Gubkin, and Jill Tatem. It is these people and my other Kelvin Smith Library colleaguestoo numerous to mentionwho make coming to work each day such a delight.

One final personal note: I cannot thank enough my friend, colleague, and mentor in this endeavor, Robert H. Jackson, the Distinguished Visiting Scholar of the Kelvin Smith Library. It was his inspiration and constant encouragement that caused us not only to convene the colloquium, but to pursue publication of these very important essays.

I know you will find this book to be thought-provoking as we as a profession continue to forge the future of special collections.

Arnold Hirshon

Associate Provost and University Librarian

Case Western Reserve University