The Challenges and Opportunities of Special Collections and Archives in Academic Libraries

Session Time: 11:15- 11:30 AM

There are a number of challenges facing special collections in academic libraries, some are old, recurring issues and some are new concerns brought about by COVID or changes in the higher education landscape. The list of challenges can be seemingly endless from backlogs, digitization, reparative cataloging, to security barriers, food and drink, the use of volunteers, and the teaching with primary sources, to what to do when visitors arrive accompanied with non-service animals or how to demonstrate the value of their collections  These issues are not just impacting academic special collections  but also private and public cultural memory institutions throughout the world.  In the course of my talk, I will discuss how libraries have transformed themselves as a result of the changing landscape in academia, and the impact these transformations have had on special collections and archives. Special Collections have been quite adaptive when faced with challenges, and have turned these challenges into opportunities,  and are often the hidden trendsetters helping to change the academic landscape.  In this presentation, I will discuss the challenges faced by Cushing Library and how it  has created opportunities, opportunities that can be realized by other special collections units in the A&M system.