Jobs with full- or part-time responsibilities for rare book and special collections occur in a range of libraries: for example, specialist independent libraries (e.g. astronomy or architecture libraries), public libraries (especially local studies collections), cathedral libraries, university and other research libraries, and national libraries.
Job description
Rare Book and Special Collections librarians can be responsible for a wide range of material including early printed books, rare modern books, manuscripts, photographs, prints, bookbindings, and artifacts (for example, printing types).
They require a wide range of skills – some specialist and some shared with other librarians – in (for example)
- historical bibliography and understanding of the structures of books as objects
- the principles and main issues of management, preservation (including environmental control and safe handling) and organisation of printed materials and non-printed materials such as documents, manuscript books and museum objects
- special cataloguing that meets research needs
- reference work, including the increasingly wide range of digital resources
- promoting the collections, ranging from large-scale digitisation projects to setting out a small selection of rare books for a visiting group or single potential benefactor
- fund-raising: both from philanthropic sources and – through grant applications – from statutory funding bodies
But they also require knowledge of
- the collections and their subject areas to help interpret them and assess and promote their research value
- languages, to help manage and research the collections and also to assist users
- collections of similar material in other libraries, to help appreciate the particular strengths of their own collections and the possibilities for collaboration
Pay and conditions
Salaries vary considerably depending on the sector you are working in. General guidance is given in the salary guides which are updated annually. If you require further guidance on salaries in the sector please contact the advice team
Further information
CILIP members can join a special interest group Rare Books and Special Collections Group
where you will find a more detailed job outline
Updated: 14 April 2008