RBMS 2014 got off to a roaring start on Tuesday, and Day Two was no different! Wednesday’s program kicked off with an excellent plenary on the book as archive, moderated by Nicole Bouche, Director of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia.<\/p>\n
Then we were off to the ABAA Booksellers’ Showcase, where we were thrilled to cavort with bookish friends new and old. Meanwhile, participants gathered for a lively discussion, “Librarian as Bibliographer (and Buyer). The session was moderated by Virginia Bartow, Sr. Rare Book Cataloguer Special Formats at the New York Public Library, and Barbara Heritage, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections at the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School.<\/p>\n
Another engaging seminar on patron-driven priorities took place simultaneously (also action packed–we thought the Twitter-verse might implode with all the #rbms14 action!). Elizabeth Slomba, University Archivist for the University of New Hampshire, nimbly moderated this session. And Colleen Thiesen of the University of Iowa moderated the first Papers Panel on Digital Humanities, while Colleen Barret of Indiana University’s Lily Library, moderated Papers Panel 2, on Preservation.<\/p>\n
For the afternoon, participants broke up into regional groups for discussions led by consummate library professionals from each geographic area. This was followed by a tour of the ABAA Booksellers’ Showcase–and the all-important beverage break with booksellers.<\/p>\n
The day finished with three excellent sessions. Molly Schwartzburg, Curator of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia, led a discussion group on designing instruction with physical and digital library materials. A seminar on publishing for professional growth was led by John Overholt, curator of early modern books and manuscripts at Harvard University’s Houghton Library. And the seminar on the future of special collections generated much online discussion, as did Papers Panel 3 on Bibliography, moderated by Elizabeth Ott of the University of Virginia’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library.<\/p>\n
Here’s a look back at the day in ten tweets, in no particular order! (Okay, it’s eleven tweets, but one is from our showcase booth!)<\/p>\n
\nThis gem caught my eye as I passed @TavBooks<\/a> at the #rbms14<\/a> Booksellers' Showcase Reception pic.twitter.com\/PVBIFUSxQ5<\/a><\/p>\n
— Erika L. Jenns (@scribbleonfire) June 25, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n