91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the opening of registration for the 52^nd Annual Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) Preconference. The 52nd Annual RBMS Preconference, "In the Hurricane's Eye: Challenges of Collecting in the 21st Century,” will be held June 21 – June 24, 2011, in Baton Rouge, La. Register by May 18 and save $50 off the full registration fee. Registration materials are available on the RBMS website at .

In the last several years special collections and archives have assumed a new and more prominent role within larger host institutions as well as in the wider library community. Once perceived as peripheral to core library services, such collections are now viewed as central. Despite – or perhaps because of – this centrality, special collections face a perfect storm of increasing needs in a time of decreasing support. How can we keep building and providing effective access to collections that will remain central in the future, fulfilling our obligation to provide stewardship of the cultural record?

Engaging attendees using a variety of session formats, the 2011 preconference will present current work in the profession, both theoretical and practical, that can be used for modeling possible solutions to such challenges. The preconference will feature four plenary sessions exploring cultural stewardship, regional collecting, the value of special collections and preservation and disaster recovery, as well as short papers, case studies, discussion sessions and seminars on a variety of topics of interest to anyone who works with archives or special collections.

Complete program details and housing information are available on the RBMS website at /.

**

ACRL is a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), representing more than 12,500 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments. ACRL is on the Web at , Facebook at and Twitter at .