STHC-L: The Science, Technology and Health Care Archives Forum

Class - Special collections/History of the Book in the Sciences

• Date:   Fri, 18 Apr 2003 11:31:02 -0500
• To:   sthc-l@library.ucla.edu
• From:   Marianne Steadley <steadley@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu>
• Subject:   Class - Special collections/History of the Book in the Sciences
• Message-ID:   3E8F363F@cricket.lis.uiuc.edu

Special collections/History of the Book in the Sciences Course

THERE ARE STILL A FEW SEATS AVAILABLE IN THE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS/HISTORY OF
THE BOOK IN THE SCIENCES CLASS TO BE HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS MAY
19-23, 2003.

The Graduate School of Library and Information Science and the Rare Book and
Special Collections Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
will be offering a special one week summer class on Special
Collections/History of the Book in the Sciences, taught by Robin Rider,
University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Who should attend: Library and information professionals; teachers; graduate
students; book lovers, collectors, and dealers; and those interested in the
History of the Book in science and medicine. This course has a graduate credit
option (1/2 unit or 2 hours).

Using as examples rare books, manuscripts and archives, and a variety of other
printed and electronic resources, this course will explore special collections
in the sciences and their use in teaching and research. Issues of the
production and function of records of scientific research and practice (from
the late 15th century to the present) will provide context as we address
cultural, economic, social, esthetic, and technological factors affecting
dissemination of scientific knowledge. We will concern ourselves with, among
other questions, institutional bases for science in print, relationships
between print and instrument, picturing nature, matters of credibility, and
the value of gray literature, as well as more practical issues for collectors,
collections managers, and dealers.

Suggested readings will be drawn from history of science and technology,
history of the book, cultural history, and library and archives literature.
Strategies for acquiring, managing, and using history of science collections
large or small will be discussed in the context of history of science, science
and technology studies, history of the book, and history of publishing as well
as special collections librarianship and archival management. The course will
also provide ample opportunity for hands-on examination of a variety of
examples from special collections.

The course will also include a field trip to the University of Chicago Library
to view the exhibit Between the Boards: Collections, Compilations, and
Curiosities from the John Crerar Collections of Rare Books in the History of
Science and Medicine.

Instructor: Ms Rider is the Associate Director for Collection Development,
Management, and Preservation for the General Library System, University of
Wisconsin-Madison and holds a teaching appointment in the Department of
History of Science. She served as curator of special collections at Madison
from 1996 to 2002 and has held positions in special collections at Stanford
and the University of California, Berkeley. She received her Ph.D. in history
of science at Berkeley and has taught in the history department and
engineering interdepartmental studies at Berkeley, the history of science and
philosophy program at Stanford, and the School of Library and Information
Studies at Madison.

For registration and logistic information, contact:
Conferences and Institutes University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign
302 East John Street, Suite 202
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone 217-333-2880 or toll free 877-455-2687
E-mail: wolff1@uiuc.edu

For program information visit:
 www.continuinged.uiuc.edu/conferences
Or contact:
Marianne Steadley
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Phone 217-244-2751
Email:  steadley@uiuc.edu