2011 events
Wednesday 7 - Friday 9 September 2011
Annual Study Conference
'If You've Got It Flaunt It'
Durham University
This year’s Rare Books and Special Collections Group conference was held at Durham University and looked at ways to promote collections to their best advantage often on very small budgets. Speakers included Andrew Morison (Head Curator at the Yorkshire Museum’s Trust), David Pearson (Guildhall Library), Lisa Woodward (Durham University) and Katie Sambrook (King’s College London). Richard Gameson gave the after-dinner speech at the conference dinner. The Thursday morning visit was to Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books in Newcastle, and Friday morning offered two practical workshops, one on label writing and the other on making book stands.
Click here to see photographs from the conference.
Tuesday 1st March
Developing a major special collections exhibition: a case study around the Evolving English exhibition at the British Library
This popular members' evening training event was held at the British Library's St. Pancras site in London. The event went "behind the scenes" to look at how special collections staff developed storylines and chose material for the major exhibition, including writing the exhibition proposal, storyline creation, exhibit selection, writing labels and gallery design. The event was hosted by Adrian Edwards (Lead Curator, Printed Historical Sources) and Jonnie Robinson (Lead Curator, Education and Socio-Linguistics). It was aimed at information professionals with an interest in curating exhibitions.
2010 events
Wednesday 8 - Friday 10 September 2010
Annual Study Conference
'Rare but not Old': Curating Modern Special Collections
Lancaster University
The significant advances in technologies for creating and accessing materials over the past century have changed the nature of many of the ‘special collections’ created during this period. The group’s 2010 conference examined the various types of archival and book collections that have been generated both as a result of, and alongside such technological advances. It looked at the different ways in which such materials need to be treated both physically and intellectually, and also ways in which these ‘rare but not old’ collections can be used to innovate and enhance Special Collections. Delegates enjoyed opportunities to visit Wordsworth’s Lake District home at Dove Cottage, and two fascinating collections on the Lancaster University campus, the Ruskin Library and the Jack Hylton Archive. Following the conference dinner at Barker House Farm, Paul Farley, Professor of Poetry at the University, gave an entertaining speech and read excerpts from his poetry.
Friday 16 July 2010
Visit to Lambeth Palace Library's 400th anniversary exhibition
Lambeth Palace, London
The 400th anniversary exhibition drew upon the Library's incomparably rich and diverse collections of manuscripts, archives and books, some of which were displayed for the first time. It revealed how the collections developed since 1610 and explored the history surrounding the people who owned, studied or used them as aids to prayer and devotion. The visit began with an introductory talk from Giles Mandelbrote, the Librarian of Lambeth Palace.
Wednesday 28 April 2010
Introduction to Cataloguing in DCRM(B)
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The UK Bibliographic Standards Committee of the CILIP Rare Books Group repeated its training session on the newly updated cataloguing rules - Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books) or (DCRM(B), published in 2007. The training session was aimed at those acquainted with the previous Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Books (DCRB), and focused on the differences between the old set of rules and the new.
Wednesday 28 April 2010
Introduction to Bibliographic Format
Victoria And Albert Museum, London
This morning workshop was aimed at those with little or no knowledge of, or training in historical bibliography. Combining theory with practical exercises, it answered questions such as, what is the difference between folio, quarto and octavo? why is it important to identify the format of a book? what is a collational formula? what is the difference between laid and wove paper? what are signatures? The course focused on the hand-press period from c.1450 to the early nineteenth century and was intended for librarians and curators new to working with rare books, or those wanting to pursue careers as rare books librarians.
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Members event
Great Books of the British Library
British Library
This special members event was an opportunity to experience examples of key books from the history of Western printing. Around forty milestones from the history of the printed book were displayed, with the Library’s Early Collections curators on hand to explain the significance of each one. Among the treasures made available for us were major works from the 15th to 19th centuries, from the great incunabula bibles to the luxurious editions of the Kelmscott Press.
2009 events
Wednesday 9 – Friday 11 September 2009
Annual Study Conference
A Special Relationship? Special Collections and the Antiquarian Book and Manuscripts Trade
Clare College Cambridge
The book trade has been closely associated with the growth of libraries, but it has not always been an easy relationship. The group’s 2009 study conference offered an opportunity to examine and discuss issues concerning libraries and the antiquarian book trade, including acquisitions, donations, valuations, theft and the sale of library materials. Delegates enjoyed an opportunity to visit several historic Cambridge college libraries as well as the University Library and modern collections at Churchill College. A reception was held at at Heffers on the Wednesday evening and the conference dinner at Clare College. The dinner was followed by a very entertaining talk from Ed Maggs.
Thursday 21 May 2009
Members event
Great Books of the British Library
British Library
This special members event was an opportunity to experience examples of key books from the history of Western printing. Around forty milestones from the history of the printed book were displayed, with the Library’s Early Collections curators on hand to explain the significance of each one. Among the treasures made available for us were major works from the 15th to 19th centuries, from the great incunabula bibles to the luxurious editions of the Kelmscott Press.
2008 events
Wednesday 10 – Friday 12 September 2008
Annual Study Conference
‘Imprenting within our Realme’: Books from Scotland
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The 2008 RBSCG Annual Study Conference took place in Edinburgh as part of the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the first dated Scottish book. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Scottish books: the programme was designed to cover Scottish book history and production from the fifteenth century to the present day, and was held in the new Quincentenary Hall of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. It included visits to the 18th-century library at Traquair House, Scotland’s oldest continually inhabited house and to Sir Walter Scott’s library at Abbotsford. The conference dinner will be held in the magnificent Playfair Library Hall, the University of Edinburgh’s main library building until the 1960s, and there was a reception in the award-winning Scottish Parliament building.
Click here to see photographs from the conference.
2007 Events
22 December 2007 & National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, 23 January 2008
DCRM(B) Training
Senate House Library, University of London
The UK Bibliographic Standards Committee of the CILIP Rare Books Group held two training sessions on the newly updated cataloguing rules - Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books) or (DCRM(B), published in 2007. The training sessions were aimed at those acquainted with the previous Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Books (DCRB), and focussed on the differences between the old set of rules and the new.
12-14 September 2007
Annual Study Conference
Imagining the text? The role of images in printed books
Wellcome Library, London
The conference examined the role of illustrations in printed books from the 16th century to the present day, from woodcuts to photographs. Visits and workshops were held at the British Library, National Art Library, British Architectural Library and the Wellcome Library and the conference reception and dinner was held at the Royal Society.
Click here to see photographs from the conference.
6 July 2007
Summer visit to Canterbury Cathedral Library
A free day out to the historic Library, Archives and Conservation Department of Canterbury Cathedral. Books have played an important role in the life of the Cathedral since its foundation in 597 by Saint Augustine. The Library’s core holdings (some 30,000 books and pamphlets printed before 1900) include the Howley-Harrison Collection and Elham and Preston Parish Libraries. The collections are particularly rich in books on church history, theology, travel, natural science, medicine and the anti-slavery movement and boasts fine examples of early English printing, fine bindings and Books of Hours. Record-keeping, too, has been a tradition at Canterbury Cathedral for over a thousand years and records in the Cathedral’s Archives date back to the 8th century.
2006 Events
Monday 27 November 2006, 10.00 – 13.30
Bindings Workshop
Prints and Drawings Study Room, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The CILIP Rare Books and Special Collections Group offered this practical hands-on workshop for members interested in finding out more about historic bindings. Our speakers tackled such questions as: Why are bindings important? How do you differentiate between sheepskin, calf and morocco? Are there any guidelines to dating historic bindings? How should you best handle and house books with fine bindings? What features should you pick out in a catalogue record? There were opportunities to handle and study examples of historic and fine bindings from the collections of the V&A’s National Art Library. The workshop was aimed to coincide with the publication of a new guide, Understanding and caring for bookbindings, due to be published by the National Preservation Office later in 2006.
2005 Events
7-9 September 2005
Annual Study Conference
Whose book was it anyway? Book ownership and provenance
New Hall College, Cambridge
The 2005 Rare Books Group residential conference addressed issues connected with the growing interest in provenance research, relevant for all those engaged in working with rare books or with helping readers trace ownership. Participants also had the opportunity to visit Ickworth, Suffolk, and various libraries within the University of Cambridge not normally accessible to the public in support of the themes discussed.
Click here to see photographs from the conference.
2004 Events
1-3 September 2004
Annual Study Conference
Rare Book Futures: Curating Collections in the 21st Century
University of Sussex, near Brighton
This conference focused on the wide range of managerial and technical skills rare book librarians need to bring collections to life in the 21st century. The conference helped delegates consider and develop a “toolkit” of relevant skills, including acquisition and disposal; publicity and marketing; intellectual property; widening access, and fundraising. A combination of plenary sessions and a range of workshops enabled delegates to learn from the expertise of others and to discuss issues arising from their own experience.
Click here to see photographs from the conference.