Sponsored by: University of Florida, George A. Smathers Libraries

The boundaries of special collections and archives are fluid; they not only document our shared cultural heritage, they are integrally shaped by the cultural circumstances in which they exist. We must open our doors and our minds to find ways to continually engage in productive conversations. Speakers will share with us the importance of being culturally literate to allow dynamic collaborative partnerships and outreach endeavors, as well as help us imagine new possibilities for increasing continued diversity within our profession.

Moderator: Athena Jackson, Pennsylvania State University 

Sponsored by: Maggs Bros. Ltd.

This session seeks to demonstrate the myriad ways special collections and archives can engage and interact with multiple constituencies. The communities and cultures in which institutions are situated strongly influence what is collected, how resources are described, and how materials are accessed and used. Speakers will share with us new methods by which we communicate and the infrastructures we create to elicit productive conversations about engagement with a broader range of communities and cultural materials than we might traditionally.

Moderator: Erika Dowell, Indiana University

Sponsored by: Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers

Once communities know about you through outreach efforts, collaborations and partnerships can be created. This plenary session is intended to serve as a venue in which the special collections community can have productive conversations about its potential engagement with a broader range of cultural materials than it might traditionally.

Moderator: Verónica Reyes-Escudero, University of Arizona