The Changing Role of Special Collections...SIGN ME UP

I really enjoyed reading Waters' The Changing Role of Special Collections in Scholarly Communications for a couple of reasons:

1. My dream job would be in working in special collections.
2. My dream job would include reference, outreach and instruction in special collections.
3. My dream job would consist of making special collections relevant (AND ACCESSIBLE) for scholarly enrichment across all levels of education: K-12, higher ed and continuing/adult learning.
4. My dream job would allow creativity and partnership across campus, between institutions and with the community at large to create meaningful and relevant resources, or as Waters puts it, "finding efficient and productive ways to engage scholars and students in the development of special collections as scholarly resources."

So, who wants to hire me.......UA? Kidding. (No, not really.)

This article also reminded me that I was fortunate enough to be a part of just such a collection connecting project while working as a student exhibit coordinator at the Hoole Special Collections Library at The University of Alabama.

My supervisor was the project manager for Publishers’ Bindings Online, 1851-1930: The Art of Books, a 3-year IMLS-funded collaborative digital project in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. PBO combines about 5,000 decorative book bindings into one digital repository where students, scholars, teachers and more can explore a relatively "unexplored" field of study. Albeit, I was just the student assistant tasked with cataloging, scanning and data entry but, man was it fun knowing I was contributing to something that could open the doors to a a whole new appreciation of rare books. The fact that I was also a graphic design student made it even better. I was totally in my element.

Now 10 years later, I am back at Hoole, volunteering and assisting with outside reference. I have the opportunity to dig through the stacks/boxes (physically and digitally) and make sense of the "unwelcome white elephant". There are endless possibilities on how to incorporate scholarly and student engagement and communication into special collections and I agree with Damen:

"This means that special collections are especially rich in opportunity for those who want to make them more valuable in the same ways that common collections are growing in value."

I really want that opportunity.