Competency Guidelines for Rare Books and Special Collections ProfessionalsThe IFLA Rare Book & Special Collections Section (RBSC) is pleased to announce a new virtual session: Competency Guidelines for Rare Books and Special Collections Professionals.

In late 2020, RBSC published “Competencies for Special Collections Professionals.”  This IFLA Standard outlines the competencies that were developed as a guide for all library professionals who work with special collections materials, both analog and digital. These guidelines provide direction and focus for special collections professionals to facilitate their own career development, as well as to manage their special collections in line with their institutional policies and user needs.  On 8 March 2022 from 14:00-15:00 CET, RBSC will sponsor a public webinar based on this recently published standard.

This one-hour virtual event will include a brief overview of the Competencies standard including its history, purpose and intended use.  A review and commentary session led by invited IFLA section leaders will be followed by an open moderated discussion.

A full list of Presenters and Respondents is currently being finalized. A detailed list will be added shortly.

Moderator: Beth T. Kilmarx is the Associate Dean and Director of the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives at Texas A&M University. She is a former curator of rare books with over 30 years of experience in special collections librarianship. Her areas of specialization include: the history of the book, 19th-century American cloth bindings, cultural heritage preservation methods and theory, and special collections administration.

This event is free and open to the public. Please register to reserve your virtual seat!