On behalf of all of us in the Special Collections Library, I am pleased to share this annual report — our first! — with you. Presented within are some of the highlights, in the form of stories, statistics, and a few lists, from the period between July 2016 and June 2017.
Like the experience of curating an exhibit — see the list on page 7! — the most difficult task associated with putting together this report was deciding what not to include. In the section titled “Behind the Scenes,” for example, we draw your attention to the invaluable work that our colleagues in the Department of Preservation and Conservation do in support of the use and display of Special Collections material. We could just as easily have focused — and will in future reports — on another of the many partnerships on which we rely to make our collections discoverable and available for use. Print Cataloging and the Copyright Office come immediately to mind in this context.
It was similarly challenging to determine which of the many “Notable Acquisitions” we made this year would be featured in the limited space this report makes available for such an important — and enjoyable! — purpose. Those that we decided to highlight are certainly some of our favorites. We are deeply grateful to our donors, especially those whose gifts are showcased here, for their generosity, which ensures an abundance of notable acquisitions for sharing with you.
Finally, I would like to say a few words about the “Staff Listing” at the end of this report. Three of our colleagues — Kristine Greive, Meg Hixon, and Caitlin Wells — are new to us this year. They have already made a number of important contributions and we are thrilled to welcome them to the Special Collections family. Four of the individuals listed — Elliot Gertel, Susan Go, Phil Hallman, and Evyn Kropf — are subject specialists in the Hatcher Graduate Library who have enthusiastically taken on, and masterfully executed, specific curatorial responsibilities in the Special Collections Library. This has been of great benefit not only to us in Special Collections but also, and more importantly, to all — including you! — who depend on us to build and steward truly amazing collections.
Happy reading!
Martha O'Hara Conway, Director