RBMS at 30: Growing Along With the Profession

Abstract

In 1988, the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (ACRL/ALA) marks its thirtieth year as a separate Section within the Association of College and Research Libraries. The origins of a professional organization devoted to the concerns of rare book, manuscript, and special collections librarians go back at least a decade earlier. In 1948, an ACRL University Libraries Section meeting was devoted to rare books in the university library. John Cook Wyllie, speaking on “Why a Rare Book Room?” named “some of the best known curators of rare books in this country,” and asked his audience to guess how many belonged to . . .