Book Reviews 729

Special Collections Catalogs” by Allison Jai O’Dell gives a great introduction to the 
semantic web and makes a convincing argument for librarians to take up the challenge 
of linking the data in our collections.

Two strong chapters tackle contemporary issues that many special libraries and 
archives see on the horizon, if they are not dealing with them already. “Documenting 
Ferguson: Collecting Current Events in Archives,” by Meredith R. Evans, Shannon Da-
vis, Jennifer Kirmer, and Sonya Rooney, recognizes the challenges of collecting digital 
archival material, in real time, on sensitive or polarizing issues. Their case study docu-
ments their experience of documenting and preserving content surrounding the fatal 
shooting of Michael Brown. By creating a repository for the public to upload to, they 
were able to both support the community and make materials available to scholars in 
real time. “A Janus Perspective: Origins and Future of 21st-Century Preservation and 
Conservation in Library and Archives Special Collections,” by Priscilla Anderson and 
Whitney Baker, tackles the issue of sustainability in cultural heritage institutions. The 
article addresses a profoundly 21st-century concern of special collections librarians, 
that “Preservation professionals will spend more time and resources preparing for and 
then inevitably responding to the increase in climate change-induced emergencies” 
(145). This is a timely reminder that the information and library science field is far from 
immune from the impacts of climate change, and a call to arms for further involvement 
in the research and groundwork needed to prepare for its effects.

Several chapters offer updated answers to ongoing challenges. Sheryl Williams’ “Suc-
cess with Donors: Practical Approaches That Work for All” should be required reading 
for library school students, as should Heather Briston’s “Open Access and Copyright in 
Archives and Special Collections.” “Success with Donors” offers concrete suggestions 
and tips on an aspect of librarianship expected of most special collections librarians, 
although for which many professionals are woefully unprepared. “Open Access and 
Copyright” is a succinct introduction to copyright issues as they impact special col-
lections and can serve as a quick reference for librarians at any point in their careers. 

New Directions for Special Collections covers a lot of ground. It at times seems like the 
anthology has too many balls in the air, yet it is a reflection of the fact that the field is 
changing, rapidly, and today’s special collections professional’s job is a juggling act. 
Best practices are evolving at a pace too fast to document in the traditional print for-
mat, as acknowledged by the editors in the afterward. But for now the essays in this 
volume capture exactly what they set out to: a snapshot of current topics and trends 
in special collections libraries, as well as a valuable resource for students and profes-
sionals alike.—Dana Hart, Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Collaborating for Impact: Special Collections and Liaison Librarian Partnerships. 
Eds. Kristen Totleben and Lori Birrell. Chicago: Association of College and Research 
Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, 2016. 270p. $60.00 (ISBN 
978-083898883-1). 

“In a twenty-first-century academic library, its unique collections distinguish it from 
other libraries.” So reads the first line of Collaborating for Impact: Special Collections and 
Liaison Librarian Partnerships, which focuses on ways that special collections librar-
ians and liaison librarians in academic libraries have worked together to benefit their 
libraries and campuses. The volume is edited by two librarians from the University of 
Rochester who themselves are special collections and liaison librarians. 

Collaborating for Impact begins with a chapter containing a literature review, which 
sets up the book well to differentiate between the work already done on this topic and 
why the case studies in this book are unique. The chapter also asks great questions 
for further exploration. From there, the volume moves on to two other research-based 

doi:10.5860/crl.78.5.729



730 College & Research Libraries July 2017

chapters. The first focuses on collecting policies of academic libraries and how to cre-
ate a framework for collecting that incorporates special collections. The next chapter 
covers object-based pedagogy, and how liaison and special collections librarians can 
work together to bring fascinating objects into the classroom to deepen student learn-
ing. These three chapters stand alone and read better as individual essays than as part 
of the larger collection. 

The bulk of the book consists of thirteen chapters, each containing short case stud-
ies, varied both in subject matter and project/application. Each case study concludes 
with sections entitled “Impact,” “Lessons Learned,” and “Next Steps.” These sum-
marize each case study well and provide concrete advice for those who are interested 
in similar projects. 

Of the projects included, all but one are from research-level universities; thus, smaller 
institutions may not have the resources to conduct partnerships at the scale discussed. 
However, the chapters read less like a “how-to” manual and more like inspiration to 
think of your own collaboration project in your setting with your unique collections. 
Topics that librarians have collaborated on include Shakespeare, comics, foreign lan-
guage materials, and collaborative exhibit design. 

The first set of case studies is considered “Collection Stewardship.” One example 
of a collection stewardship project took place at the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign (UIUC). In their special collections, they own a number of artists’ books: 
“materials conceived and created by an artist as art, which comes in the form of a book 
or a book-like object.” The librarians at UIUC worked together to collect, organize, 
and promote this collection. This included forming instruction sessions around art-
ists’ books and collaboratively writing a collection development policy. The librarians 
have found great value in this project: “It provided the impetus to consider the special 
collections as an extension [of the main collection] rather than a separate collection.” 
It also caused numerous conversations on collaboration both within the library and 
with other stakeholders. 

The next section of the book includes “Projects, Research, and Exhibitions.” Librar-
ians at Pitt Theology Library created a unique program that enabled volunteer docents 
to lead special collections tours and work on projects. This allowed the librarians to 
pass on some of their specialty knowledge to the docents; it also freed up librarian 
time for other projects. Additionally, this has made the special collections accessible 
to a wide range of patrons who may not have otherwise set foot in the library, includ-
ing homeschooled students, Sunday school groups, and local high school students. 

The last set of case studies focuses on “Instruction.” One example from this set is 
a project at the University of Rochester that translated AIDS Education posters. This 
is a digital collection of more than eight thousand posters in more than seventy-five 
languages. Prior to this project, an English translation for most of the posters was not 
available. The librarians at the University of Rochester collaborated with four foreign 
language instructors to add the translation project as a piece of the design for their classes. 
As a follow-up to this project, a Russian undergraduate student volunteered to translate 
additional posters and even received a grant to do further research with the posters. 

The largest weakness of this volume is, due to the number of authors, that it lacks 
a feeling of cohesion. It reads more like a collection of essays, available for the reader 
to pick and choose based on the project of each case study. This is especially apparent 
in the first three chapters, which have no transition from one to another. If read in 
conjunction with one another, chapters 1 and 3 become especially repetitive in framing 
the liaison librarian/special collections librarian relationship. 

Despite this weakness, this volume is likely to be interesting and inspirational to 
many special collections librarians. As they identify librarians with whom they wish 



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to collaborate, a great first step to forming collaborations would be sharing some of 
the case studies with their colleague(s). In the words of Culbertson and Jackson, “It 
is therefore their hope that librarians everywhere will consider collaborating and ex-
ploring creative problem-solving for unprecedented and worthwhile pursuits.”—Ruth 
Szpunar, DePauw University