Conferences
2023 WLIC, Rotterdam,
The IFLA Rare Books and Special Collections Section are seeking proposals for papers to be presented at their Open Session at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2023 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Cataloguers and curators of heritage collections have to deal with catalogues of their collections that include language now considered unacceptable or inadequate, partial perspectives, or significant gaps in their information. Not only collections themselves but also descriptions created by the institutions that preserve them can show bias and deficiency in questions of genre, culture or history, and eventually offensive terminology.
The RBSC open session will focus on these catalogues and descriptions and how cataloguers and curators are addressing these challenges; we are looking for short presentations in English (10-15 minutes) of projects or lines of work aimed at problematic language, controversial heritage or a broader and more inclusive change in approach and terminology.
We would like to invite papers on the following themes:
- Transforming vocabulary, enriching information: identifying and changing offensive terms; addressing and describing previously invisible or underrepresented aspects, groups or collections
- Describing and presenting problematic heritage
- Decolonizing descriptions of collections
Proposals must be submitted in an electronic format and must include the following information:
- Title of proposed presentation
- Abstract of the proposed paper (no more than 500 words)
- Name(s) of presenters and positions and or titles
- Employer or affiliated institution
- Contact information including email address and telephone number
- Short biographical statement of no more than 100 words
- Note a willingness to comply with IFLA’s Authors’ Permission: papers / PPTs will be published in IFLA’s online Repository following the conference
- Confirmation that you can attend the IFLA congress and present in person if selected
Send proposal abstracts (500 words or less) by April 30th 2023 to:
Isabel Garcia-Monge isabel.garcia-monge@cultura.gob.es
Iris O’Brien Iris.OBrien@bl.uk
2023 WLIC, Satellite Meeting in Leiden
Empire, Indigeneity, and Colonial Heritage Collections: Confronting Difficult Pasts, Enabling Just Futures
The IFLA Rare Books and Special Collections Section (RBSC) and the Indigenous Matters Section (IM) are pleased to announce a Joint Satellite Session at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2023 at Leiden University Library on the 18th and 19th of August, 2023.
Day 1: Friday August 18th
9:30 Registration & coffee
10:00 Welcome by Kurt De Belder (Director Leiden University Libraries)
10:10 Introduction to the programme (RBMS & IM)
10:15 Keynote Lecture Damian Webb
Confronting Difficult Pasts
11:00 Session 1 Finding Indigenous Voices
Sophie Alix Capdeville (University of Jyväskylä, Finland)
- Saami written culture history research: a challenge in the current Finnish research framework
Syifa Adiba (independent researcher) and Akmal Faradise (Universitas Islam Indonesia)
- From Marginalization to Empowerment: Elevating Madurese Indigenous Poet Voice through Independent Archiving
12:00 Lunch (on site) * including small pop-up exhibition
13:00 Session 2 Confronting difficult histories
Hugh Murphy and Alaxandra Caccamo (Maynooth University)
- Religion, Colonialism and Empire: interrogating an Irish university collection
Isabelle Best and Katell Lavéant (Allard Pierson, University of Amsterdam)
- Surinamica Reimagined: Activating a Heritage Collection for Reparation and Reconiliation, the Surinamica Collection at Allard Pierson
14:00 Session 3 Professional Approaches to Working with Indigenous Collections
Francisca Fuentes Rettig (British Library) and Rebecca Slatcher (University of Hull and British Library)
- Beginning to know what we don’t know: Approaching North American Indigenous Knowledges at the British Library
Alexander Soto and Lorrie McAllister
- Nada Nukuthdam Firekeepers Initiative
15:00 Tea break
15:30 Plenary discussion
16:15 Closing remarks
16:30 Library tours at University Library and visit to Bibliotheca Thysiana (optional)
17:30 Reception at Faculty Club Leiden University
Day 2: Saturday August 19th
9:00 Registration & coffee
9:30 Welcome and introduction (RBSC-IM)
9:40 Plenary presentation
Anouk Mansfeld (Leiden University Libraries)
- A Friend’s Album as loot: Colonial Heritage in the Leiden Special Collections
10:00 Plenary presentation
Marieke van Meer (Leiden University Libraries) and Esther Boeles (University of Amsterdam)
- New Guidelines for colonial heritage in academic- and library collections in the Netherlands
10:45 Coffee break
Enabling Just Futures
11:00 Session 4 Using Digital Scholarship and Metadata to Enable Just Futures
Stacy Allison-Cassin (Delhousie University, Canada) and Camille Callison (University of the Fraser Valley, Canada)
- The Respectful Terminologies Platform Project
Soraya Hariyani Putri (National Library of Indonesia) and Sadariyah Ariningrum Widjiastuti (National Library of Indonesia)
- Best Practice To Preserve Indonesia Memory Tradition Through Collection Development Policy And Khastara Official Website
12:00 Lunch (on site)
13:00 Session 5 Methodologies to Enable Just Futures: Collections Development, Digital Reunification, Collaboration
Eunice Ann Yutuc Chua and A.B. Gideon de Castro (University of the Philippines Diliman)
- To = This is ours: the University of the Philippines Diliman Filipiniana Books Section
Frederieke van Wijk (Allard Pierson, University of Amsterdam)
- (post)-Colonialism on Stage: A Collaborative Confronting of the Uncomfortable Histories of the Performing Arts
Radia Banu Jan Mohamad; Ahmad Murad Merican; Fujica Azura Fesal; Noor Azlinda Wan Jan; Nor Azan Ibrahim; Mohd Fuad Haron
- Decolonization of the Light Letters Digital Collection in USM Libary: Enliven the 18th Century Correspondences
14:15 Plenary discussion
15:00 Tea break
15:30 ‘Locknote’ session by Daryl Green (RBSC) and Stacy Allison-Cassin (IM)
16:30 Library visit at University Library and Visit to Bibliotheca Thysiana (optional)
17:30 Closing reception at University Library garden
Day 3: Sunday August 20th
Excursions day in Leiden
- Library walk in the city centre of Leiden & visit to the Bibliotheca Thysiana, by curator Kasper van Ommen (Leiden University Library)
10.00 – 12.00 Group 1
13.00 – 15.00 Group 2
- Guided tour at the exhibition Maps: Navigating & Manipulating, by curator Martijn Storms (Leiden University Library)
10.00 – 12.00 Group 2
13.00 – 15:00 Group 1
2023 Mid-Year, Upsala, Sweden
Libraries in the Time of War was arranged by IFLA-RBSC in collaboration with CERL and hosted by Uppsala University. Nine speakers from three different continents shared their work and experiences of libraries in war, how to prepare and prevent damage to collections, how to work during wartime, and how to historicize conflict. Nearly 100 people attended the symposium on site, with several hundreds additional participants via Zoom. A full recording of the day’s presentations can be found HERE. The day ended with a symposium dinner for the IFLA- and CERL-people, as well as the speakers.
A full accounting of RBSC activities can be found on our blog.
2022 WLIC, Dublin
Exhibitions: Designed to Inspire and Engage
2018 WLIC, Kuala Lumpur
Business Meeting Agendas
Conference Sessions and Events
2018 Midterm meeting, Oslo
Business Meeting Agendas
Conference Sessions and Events
2017 WLIC, Wroclaw
Business Meeting Agendas
Conference Sessions and Events
2017 Associated Conference, Buenos Aires
“Cultural Heritage in Latin American and Caribbean Libraries: challenges and perspectives”
2016 WLIC, Columbus
Business Meetings
Agenda (Supporting documents will be distributed at the meeting)
Saturday 13 August
Session 010 Standing Committee I — Rare Books and Special Collections
09:45 – 12:15 / Room C220-221
Thursday 18 August
Session 217 Standing Committee II — Rare Books and Special Collections
11:30 – 13:00 / Room C224
Conference Sessions
Monday 15 August
Session 091 Worth a Thousand Words: A Global Perspective on Image Description, Discovery, and Access
Rare books and Special collections with Art Libraries
09:00-17:30
Off-site Location: The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, 1813 N High St, Columbus, OH 43210 (See link for map and directions)
Tuesday 16 August
Session 146 Data Across Borders: Discovering and Describing Rare Materials
Rare Books and Special Collections
13:45 – 15:45 / Room C112-115 Session 154 Theft in libraries – facing the hidden truth
Strategic Programme on Preservation and Conservation (PAC) with Rare Books and Special Collections
16:00 – 18:00
Room C210-212
Wednesday 17 August
Session 164 Quality management and preservation in the age of mass processing – Preservation and Conservation with Audiovisual and Multimedia and Rare Books and Special Collections
09:30 – 12:45 / Hall E
Other
Section Dinner: Wednesday 17 August at a local restaurant, with invitations extended to the panellists at our sessions and joint sessions, and other interested Congress attendees. Venue to be confirmed.
2016 Midterm Meeting, Lisbon
22-24 February 2016
2015 WLIC, Cape Town
81st IFLA World Library and Information Congress, 15-21 August 2015
Satellite Conference
Managing and promoting special collections Africa: The Bleek-Lloyd collection and beyond. | Friday, 14 August 2015 | All day | University of Cape Town. Conference Website. Program and Papers.
Conference Session
Session 206 – Fostering collaboration to build and preserve African cultural heritage | Thursday, 20 August, 10:45 – 12:45 | Exhibition Hall 2.
Business Meetings
Session 008 – Standing Committee, Rare Books and Special Collections |Saturday, 15 August 2015 | 9:45 – 12:15 | Ballroom East
Session 172 – Standing Committee, Rare Books and Special Collections |Wednesday, 19 August 2015 | 9:45 – 11:15 | Room 2.41 – 2.43
Business meeting documents can be found here.
Tours
Tour of the Special Collections Department, National Library of South Africa. Wednesday, 19 August, 13:00.
Social Event
Group Dinner: Wednesday, 19 August 2015, 19:00. Anatoli’s Turkish Restaurant, 24 Napier Street, Greenpoint, Cape Town, 8001. Phone: (+27) 021 419 2501.
2015 Midterm meeting, London
11-13 March 2015.
Conference: A coordinated approach to recording and searching provenance records and images: moving forward. Organised by Raphaële Mouren (Warburg Institute) and Cristina Dondi (CERL Secretary and Lincoln College, Oxford). Sponsored by IFLA RBSC, The Warburg Institute, CERL, 15cBOOKTRADE, CILIP RBSCG.
2014 WLIC, Lyon
80th IFLA World Library and Information Congress, 16-22 August 2014
Business Meetings
Business Meeting — Session 8 — Standing Committee I — Rare Books and Manuscripts | 16 August 2014 | 09:45 – 12:15 | Room: Salle Rhône 1
Business Meeting — Session 179 — Standing Committee II — Rare Books and Manuscripts | 20 August 2014 | 11:30 – 13:00 | Room: Salle Tête d’Or 1
Business meeting documents can be found here.
Conference Sessions
Session 69 — Special Places for Special Collections — Library Buildings and Equipment with Rare Books and Manuscripts | 17 August 2014 | 13:45 – 15:45 | Room: Amphithéâtre | SI
Session 84 — Brave New World: Teaching and Learning Special Collections Librarianship — 18 August 2014 | 09:00 – 17:30 | Off-site at the Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon (Presentations and Handouts)
Special Events
Monday, August 18. Section dinner at Brasserie Georges. Details to be announced at the business meeting. http://www.brasseriegeorges.com/
Wednesday, August 20. Afternoon visit to the printing museum in Lyon (Musée de l’imprimerie Lyon). http://www.imprimerie.lyon.fr
Friday, August 22. All-day library tour to Bibliothèques municipales de Grenoble. This library hosts the library of the Grande chartreuse, the first monastery of the order created ad the end of the 11th century, together with a collection related to Stendhal, born in Grenoble, including some original manuscripts of his novels. Details will be announced at the business meeting. http://www.bm-grenoble.fr
Satellite Conference
History of Librarianship. Monday- Tuesday, 25-26 August | Ecole nationale supérieure des sciences de l’Information et des bibliothèques (enssib), just a short distance from the IFLA Congress Centre. The attendance is free but registration is mandatory on the website : http://histlibr2014.sciencesconf.org
2013 WLIC, Singapore
79th IFLA World Library and Information Congress, 17-23 August 2013
Conference Session 95: Rare and special collections in the Asian or Oceanian context. 19 August 2013 08:30 – 18:00 | Off-site session at the National Library of Singapore. More information
Conference Session 132: Presentation of the Digitization Guidelines. 20 August 2013 11:45 – 12:45 | Room: Session Room 324/325 More information
Conference Session 146: Preserving for the future: Integrating physical and digital preservation. 20 August 2013 13:45 – 18:00 | Room: Exhibition Hall 404-405 | SI More information
Conference Session 202: Images, lost and found: innovative approaches to discovery and use of visual material found in rare books, manuscripts, and special collections. 22 August 2013 08:30 – 11:30 | Room: Summit 2 More information
Poster Presentation Abstract (session 95): Preserving Sri Lanka’s traditional manuscript culture: role of the Palm Leaf Digitization Project of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Piyadasa Ranasinghe and W.M. Tharanga Dilruk Ranasinghe. Abstract
2012 WLIC, Helsinki
78th IFLA World Library and Information Congress: 11-17 August, Helsinki, Finland
Conference Session 87: Marketing of Rare and Special Collections in a Digital Age, Monday 13 August. Conference Session 87 Call for Papers
Conference Session 212: Cataloging Standards and Special Collections, Thursday, 16 August. Conference Session 212
2011 WLIC, San Juan
World Library and Information Congress: 13-18 August, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Theme: Rare and special collections depending on history: Latin America and the Caribbean
2010 WLIC, Gothenburg
World Library and Information Congress: 10-15 August, Gothenburg, Sweden
Theme: Reconstructing libraries: physical evidence for the history of libraries and collections
2009 WLIC, Milan
World Library and Information Congress: 23-27 August 2009, Milan, Italy
Theme: Dispersed cultural collections Preservation, reconstruction and access
IFLA-preconference, Munich, Germany 19-21 August 2009
Theme: Early printed books as material objects
2008 WLIC, Quebec
World Library and Information Congress: 10-14 August 2008, Québec, Canada
Theme: Expanding Frontiers of Knowledge: Documents of Exploration, Discovery, and Travel
2007 WLIC, Durban
World Library and Information Congress: 74th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
10-15 August, Durban, South Africa
Theme: Preservation in African collections: perspectives and case studies
2006 WLIC, Hangzhou
IFLA-preconference, Hangzhou, China, 14-16 August
Theme: Chinese Written and Printed Cultural Heritage and Library Work