For immediate release:
December 14, 2009
For more information, contact:
Kaylyn Groves
Association of Research Libraries
kaylyn@arl.org
Washington DC—The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has released a special issue of Research Library Issues (RLI) on distinctive collections in the digital age.
Two hundred library directors and special collections librarians and archivists gathered in October at an ARL-CNI forum to consider the value proposition of and innovative possibilities inherent in collections of rare books, archives, and other unique materials. Forum participants also explored the potential for expanding use of these resources via digital technologies and collaborative strategies. Many who participated in the forum observed that the conversations that took place were unthinkable just a few years ago. To sustain the momentum of community interest in rethinking the roles of distinctive collections, the December 2009 issue of RLI (no. 267) is devoted to the topic.
This special issue of RLI includes papers delivered at the forum by CNI's Clifford Lynch, Cornell's Anne Kenney, and the Mellon Foundation's Don Waters. This issue also features an excellent synthesis by North Carolina State University's Lisa Carter of the major themes that emerged in forum presentations and audience discussions.
The full table of contents with links to the articles follows. View the complete issue online at http://arl.tizrapublisher.com/view/prvp3/default.
Special Collections at the Cusp of the Digital Age: A Credo
Clifford A. Lynch, Executive Director, Coalition for Networked Information
Moving Special Collections Forward in an Age of Discovery: Themes from the ARL-CNI Forum
Lisa R. Carter, Head, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries and Visiting Program Officer for the ARL Special Collections Working Group
The Collaborative Imperative: Special Collections in the Digital Age
Anne R. Kenney, Carl A. Kroch University Librarian, Cornell University
The Changing Role of Special Collections in Scholarly Communications
Donald J. Waters, Senior Program Officer, Scholarly Communications, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Research Library Issues: A Bimonthly Report from ARL, CNI, and SPARC (RLI) is a freely available, online-only publication released six times per year by the Association of Research Libraries. RLI focuses on the major issues that affect the ability of research libraries to meet the academic and research needs of the diverse communities they serve. RLI is on the Web at http://publications.arl.org.
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 124 research libraries in North America. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/.