2017 RBMS Conference: The Stories We Tell

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2017 RBMS Conference taking place this June in Iowa City, IA. Scholarships are also available, with an application deadline of March 31.

The Stories We Tell focuses on storytelling as practice and metaphor in the mission and daily work of special collections. From writing traditional scholarly monographs to encoding digital humanities landscapes, from building deep and inclusive collections to designing new curricula, the ability to craft a compelling narrative is at the heart of cultural heritage work. Donors honor us with the stories of their lives and passions. In discourse about the role of the humanities in education and policy, we speak for the significance and relevance of the past in shaping the present and future. At this conference, we will share our community’s stories, while imagining future narratives for special collections in a rapidly evolving cultural and technological landscape.

We invite you to join the conversation June 20-23, 2017 in Iowa City, IA, a UNESCO City of Literature with a vibrant literary and book arts community. This easy-going and open-minded Midwestern town provides an ideal environment for an intimate and productive inquiry into the role and nature of storytelling in Special Collections.

This conference features a fantastic line-up of plenary speakers, unique local opportunities, including hands-on classes at the University of Iowa Center for the Book, and breakout sessions on a wide variety of topics. From building collections of Latin American and Native American materials to documenting the most contemporary events, from defining the archive to the future of bibliographic data, from instruction to exhibits to Instagram, the breadth of topics presented will appeal to special collections librarians, archivists, preservation specialists, public services librarians, digital scholarship professionals, book artists, and scholars who use special collections in their research and teaching.

Register now to guarantee your attendance via the following link: http://conference.rbms.info/2017/registration/. We do expect the conference to sell out, and some of the sessions have limited seating that will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Also, check out the conference blog for weekly informational posts until June.

The program planning and local arrangements committees have done a fantastic job developing this conference, but the community of attendees is what makes RBMS so special each year. We look forward to sharing an inspiring, productive, and fun conference with all of you in Iowa City.

Best regards,

Melissa Hubbard and Juli McLoone, RBMS 2017 Program Planning co-chairs