ARL Launches Blog in Conjunction with Special Collections Web Conference

Washington DC--The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Special Collections Working Group has launched a blog on "Transformative Issues in Special Collections" to accompany the Web conference scheduled for tomorrow, July 7, 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT. The blog is an opportunity for the special collections community to continue the conversation after the event on Tuesday. The discussion will be moderated by ARL Visiting Program Officer Lisa Carter, Head of the Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries. Members of the community who have read the recent ARL Special Collections Working Group report or who attend the Web conference and have feedback about transformative issues for special collections are encouraged to participate in the blog. Both the blog and the Web conference will feature reflections from leaders in the special collections community on points raised in the report and other provocative insights about critical issues relevant to the management and use of special collections in research, teaching, and learning. These discussions will inform planning for a forum on special collections that ARL will host along with the Coalition for Networked Information in Washington DC, October 15-16, 2009. Visit the Blog The blog is open and online at http://transforming-special-collections.near-time.net/news/. Web Conference Registration Registration for the Web conference is free and open until the conference starts at 1:00 p.m. EDT on July 7. For more details about the conference, visit http://www.arl.org/news/pr/spec-coll-24jun09.shtml. To register individuals or groups, visit http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=59581. ARL Special Collections Working Group Report The full text of the original report of the ARL Special Collections Working Group is freely available at http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/scwg-report.pdf. For more information, contact: Karla Hahn Association of Research Libraries 202-296-2296 karla@arl.org The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 123 research libraries in North America. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/.