1. Special Collections as a Community for Interdisciplinary Collaboration Caroline G. Hogan , School of Library & Information Science, The University of Iowa
Interdisciplinarity = “work that is carried out utilizing insights and techniques from one or more disciplinary sources” (Wilson, “Collection development in an interdisciplinary context”, 1996).
“…academic librarians provide information services, including collection building, through an understanding of the intellectual rather than the institutional structure of the user community.” – “Collection Development in an Interdisciplinary Context”, 1996.
Items housed in special collections attract users based on their individuality and physical being, rather than on content alone. Because of this, these repositories provide exceptional intellectual grounds for scholars from diverse backgrounds to enrich knowledge of their own disciplines by learning from those of others.
I. Introduction
Photo by Caroline Hogan
II. Questions
III. Examples
What unique opportunities for research and collaboration do special collections provide to researchers and other professionals?
What are some ways in which libraries can extend and improve their outreach to create new and interesting opportunities for collaboration?
Right: Participants in a cross-disciplinary seminar on early book technologies examine papyrus that they recreated in a workshop in Participants included people from backgrounds in history, religious studies, book studies, and book arts.
Left: A web announcement for an event at the University of Iowa that featured works of art created in response to early works of science and medicine in the university’s rare book collections.
Photo by Caroline Hogan
IV. What else can we do?
There is always more opportunity for special collections to step into the role of incubator for ideas and teamwork between diverse scholars. This can be achieved mainly through outreach, increased communication, and an attitude of service towards every person that encounters the collection.
Fellowships for graduate and professional students
Reaching out to student clubs, organizations, artists, etc.
Co-teaching classes and hosting events
Forming advisory committees to foster collaborations with faculty and staff
Reaching out to intellectual or artistic communities outside of the academic setting
Photo by Caroline Hogan
Photo by Caroline Hogan