This is the third edition of The Special Collections Handbook, expanded to 430 pages from the 2016's second edition's 332. Once again Alison Cullingford has drawn upon her extensive expertise to create this comprehensive guide to all areas of special collections work. 14 chapters cover collections development, care, security, emergency planning, cataloguing and metadata, digitisation, access to collections, teaching and learning, promoting collections, outreach, staffing and space, inreach, advocacy, fundraising and evidencing impact. The book is packed with bibliographical references at the end of each chapter, appendices and a bibliography at the end of the book. Cullingford has wherever possible tried to cite resources freely available, and maintains a list of featured references at https://specialcollectionshandbook.com.
The first chapter of the book introduces a range of commonly found special collections types, from manuscripts and rare books to more contemporary examples such as artists’ books, ephemera and zines. This chapter also touches on the sometimes porous or overlapping boundaries between special collections, archives and museum collections. Although a broad introduction, it feels concisely put together rather than cursory and offers a good introduction to the text.
Every special collection is unique, and the handbook offers guidance that can be applied to all, whether a small collection within a local library, or for purpose-built premises, holding numerous valuable special collections of national importance. Chapter 12 offers good advice on designing the optimum special collections space from scratch, but also more pragmatic advice around ‘making the best of inadequate spaces’ which can so often be the reality in many workplaces.
The handbook offers something for all levels of special collections worker. If you are new to the field or a student looking to specialise in this area of librarianship, it would be an excellent introduction to key principles of special collection work. A real strength of the handbook is Cullingford's ability to explain specific and complex concepts concisely and in an accessible manner. Chapter 5 focuses on cataloguing and metadata. This aspect of special collections work can often feel daunting, especially to anyone new to the field or without previous cataloguing experience, but Cullingford adeptly explains key concepts of cataloguing using various standards and how they might be applied to specific types of material.
For more experienced special collections workers, there's also much of value in the book, for example information about current Standards, effective fundraising and advocacy, and managing staff. Chapter 13 offers a functional analysis of how to staff a Special Collections team, but part of the chapter touches on ‘toxicity at work and in the profession’. Cullingford is not afraid to shine a light on the less desirable parts of what are sometimes seen as ‘prestige’ jobs, taking a more critical view.
Ethics as being central to best special collections practice is a thread that runs through the handbook. Potential ethical concerns around collecting zines are flagged up in chapter 1 and in chapter 14 on influencing and fundraising, considering the ethical background of potential funders is strongly encouraged. Chapter 7 focuses on legal and ethical issues. Topics such as copyright compliance and data protection are covered but the most interesting part of the chapter examines decolonising special collections.
The fact that some special collections owe their origins to founders who made their wealth through the slave trade or contain items that were illegally and (often violently) unethically sourced is discussed, and Cullingford suggests actions that can be taken to deal with this- for example renaming buildings or collections, displaying and describing items in culturally sensitive ways or even restitution or repatriation of objects from collections. Diversifying special collections is also discussed a little in this chapter, but perhaps this part of the book could be developed more- for example with some case studies focusing on institutions who are aiming to diversify their special collections through targeted contemporary collecting.
Due to their nature as rare, valuable and/or fragile items, special collections are generally kept in closed access conditions, which can cause both a physical barrier to access as well as a more metaphorical one, where potential collection users can sometimes feel they do not have a ‘special’ enough reason to request material. The handbook grapples with the barriers in Chapter 10, offering up a variety of practical solutions to remove or reduce them and make special collections more accessible to a wider audience.
In the forward, Cullingford acknowledges that since the last edition of this book was published in 2016, much has changed. The materiality of special collections has always been key, especially in a learning and teaching context, but for many of us in March 2020 we were suddenly unable to work with our collections in this way. The challenges that COVID-19 posed to special collections are mentioned throughout, but the potential that the move to the digital unlocked, for example the virtual space for teaching and learning in chapter 11, and how digitisation of special collections could help to support organisational resilience in Chapter 6 is also examined.
There can be a perception that special collections are rarefied and closed off, both in terms of the material in the collections and as a professional field in which to work, but in this book Cullingford situates special collections firmly in the here and now, and casts a speculative eye to the future- this edition notes that we need to reconsider emergency planning strategies in place to take into account the effects of climate change, and in the afterword muses on what the future might hold for special collections.
Although this publication describes itself as a handbook, the thoughtful and considered way it places special collections in wider contexts takes it beyond just being an instruction manual. Special collections are often a key part of many art libraries, and I would recommend The Special Collections Handbook as an essential reference text for anyone working with them, whether new to the field or an experienced special collections worker, working with a collection large or small.
