The Special Collections Handbook

From preserving medieval manuscripts to ensuring safe working conditions for staff, special collections and archives comprise a microcosm of all aspects of librarianship. Although based in the UK, Cullingford (special collections, Univ. of Bradford; Unique and Distinctive Collections) had her feet planted on both sides of the pond when updating this handbook. She succeeds in her goal of providing a comprehensive manual for special collections and rare book librarianship; there is no contemporary one-volume U.S. equivalent. Subsets of material covered in Cullingford's handbook are available in more focused books, including Kate Theimer's Appraisal and Acquisition and Arjun Sabharwal's Digital Curation in the Digital Humanities. The only caveat for American librarians would be the need to consult U.S. copyright guidelines, such as Linda Frederiksen's The Copyright Librarian. The examples Cullingford cites in UK libraries all have their counterparts in North American institutions, including the pitfalls of suppressed records for hidden collections.