Special Collections & Archives

Purpose: To identify and address the unique issues, trends, and needs of special collections and archives containing Latin American materials in the 21^st century, in order to assemble, organize, and disseminate information for those interested.

1. Provide mutual support and a scaffold of partnership for librarians and archivists who work with special collections containing Latin American materials.
2. Provide a forum for discussion of issues uniquely pertinent to special collections, such as preservation, conservation, processing, curation, and post-curation activities; prioritization of backlog; the appraisal process; the book as object/history of the book; exhibitions; and points of intersection with archives and museums.
3. Reach out to personnel at non-SALALM special collections and other professional organizations such as Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Heritage Archives Section (LACCHA), the Committee on Archives, Libraries and Museums (CALM) in Asociación de Latinoamericana de Archivos, and the Rare Books School.
4. Connect with other SALALM committees and subcommittees to explore similarities and differences in special collections in terms of acquisitions and collection development; access and use; and research and instruction.  Liaise with, e.g., Digital Primary Sources subcommittee on digitization, and Marginalized Peoples on Indigenous languages collections.
5. Contribute to SALALM’s “Special Collections Resources” webpage.