RBMS held its first preconference (now conference) in 1959, and since 1961 has held an annual conference in conjunction with the ALA annual conference. In September 2014, the RBMS Preconference was renamed the RBMS Conference. The Conference Development Committee proposed this name change in recognition of the substantive difference between the half-day or day-long preconferences offered by other groups at the ALA Annual Meeting and the two-and-a-half full days of programs offered by RBMS, complemented by tours, workshops, receptions, the booksellers showcase, and other opportunities.
- Information about RBMS Conference Scholarships
- RBMS Conference Request for Proposal
- RBMS Conference Planning Manual
- Past RBMS Conferences / Preconferences
- ALA Conference Programs Co-sponsored by RBMS
- Past and Upcoming ALA Annual Conference Programs
- RBMS/ALA Meeting Schedules
- RBMS Preconference Scholarship Program Assessment
Proceedings of several RBMS Preconferences have been published; please see the “Publications” section of the Web site for details.
Past RBMS Conferences / Preconferences
- “A New Kind of Professional”, the 63rd Annual RBMS Conference, Bloomington, IN, June 27-30, 2023.
[Virtual Presentation Recordings] - “What Now? Reflection, Reckoning, and Recovery”, the 62nd Annual RBMS Conference. Held virtually, June 21-24, 2022
[Virtual presentation recordings] - RBMS 2021 Virtual Conference – “Power. Resistance. Leadership.”, the 61st Annual RBMS Conference. Held virtually, June 8-10, 2021.
[Conference Schedule] [Virtual presentation recordings] - RBMS 2020 Conference – Canceled due to COVID-19, Originally scheduled as the 61st Annual RBMS Conference, Bloomington, IN, June 23-26, 2020.
- “Response & Responsibility: Special Collections and Climate Change,” the 60th Annual RBMS Conference, Baltimore, MD, June 18-21, 2019.
[Selected Presentations – Audio Recordings] - “Convergence,” the 59th Annual RBMS Conference, New Orleans, LA, June 19-22, 2018.
[Selected Presentations – Audio Recordings] - “The Stories We Tell,” the 58th Annual RBMS Conference, Iowa City, IA, June 20-23, 2017.
[Selected Presentations and Documents] - “Opening Doors to Collaboration, Outreach and Diversity,” the 57th Annual RBMS Conference, Coral Gables, FL, June 21-24, 2016.
[Selected Presentations and Documents] - “Preserve the Humanities! Special Collections as Liberal Arts Laboratory,” the 56th Annual RBMS Conference, Oakland, CA, June 23-26, 2015.
[Selected Presentations and Documents] - “Retrofit: Exploring Space, Place, and the Artifact in Special Collections,” the 55th Annual RBMS Preconference, Las Vegas, NV, June 24-27, 2014.
[Selected Presentations and Documents] - “O Rare! Performance in Special Collections,” the 54th Annual RBMS Preconference, Minneapolis, MN, June 23-26, 2013.
[Selected Presentations and Documents]
- “FUTURES!” The 53rd Annual RBMS Preconference, San Diego, CA, June 19-22, 2012
[Selected Presentations and Documents] - “In the Hurricane’s Eye: Challenges of Collecting in the 21st Century,” the 52nd Annual RBMS Preconference, Baton Rouge, LA, June 21-24, 2011.
[Selected Presentations and Documents] - “Join or Die: Collaboration in Special Collections,” the 51st Annual RBMS Preconference, Philadelphia, PA, June 22-25, 2010.
[Selected Presentations and Documents] - “Seas of Change: Navigating the Cultural and Institutional Contexts of Special Collections,” the 50th Annual RBMS Preconference, Charlottesville, VA, June 17-20, 2009.
[Selected Presentations and Documents] - “Rare and Special Bytes: Special Collections in the Digital Age,” the 49th Annual RBMS Preconference, Los Angeles, CA, June 24-27, 2008.
[ Selected Presentations and Documents] - “From Here to Ephemerality: Fugitive Sources in Libraries, Archives, and Museums,” the 48th Annual RBMS Preconference, Baltimore, MD, June 19-22, 2007.
- “Libraries, Archives, and Museums in the Twenty-First Century: Intersecting Missions, Converging Futures?” the 47th Annual RBMS Preconference, Austin, TX, June 20-23, 2006.
- “Bridging the Gap: Education and Special Collections,” the 46th Annual RBMS Preconference, St. Louis, MO, June 21-24, 2005.
- “Ebb & Flow: The Migration of Collections to and from American Libraries,” the 45th Annual RBMS Preconference, Yale University, New Haven, CT, June 21-24, 2004.
- “TRUE/FALSE: Facsimiles, Fakes, Forgeries and Issues of Authenticity in Special Collections ,”the 44th Annual RBMS Preconference, Toronto, Canada, June 17-20, 2003.
- “New Occasions, New Duties: Changing Roles and Expectations in Special Collections,” the 43rd Annual RBMS Preconference, Atlanta, Georgia, June 11-14, 2002.
- “The Twentieth Century,” the 42nd Annual RBMS Preconference, San Francisco & Berkeley, California, June 12-15, 2001.
- “Beyond Words: Visual Information in Special Collections,” the 41st RBMS Preconference, Chicago, July 5-7, 2000.
- “Border Crossings: Exploring New Territories for Special Collections,” the 40th RBMS Preconference, Montreal, 1999
- “Getting Ready for the Nineteenth Century: Strategies and Solutions for Rare Book and Special Collections Librarians,” the 39th RBMS Preconference, Washington, 1998.
- “Rereading the Past: New Methodologies and Approaches to the History of the Book,” the 38th RBMS Preconference, Claremont, California, June 24-27, 1997.
- “Getting There From Here: Setting the Agenda for Special Collections in the 21st Century,” the 37th RBMS Preconference, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, July 2-5, 1996.
Proceedings of several RBMS Preconferences have been published; please see the “Publications” section of the Web site for details.
ALA Conference Programs Co-sponsored by RBMS
- “ Cultural Competencies: From Development to Action!,” organized by the ACRL Racial and Ethnic Diversity Committee: Saturday, June 25, 2011, at 4:00-5:30 p.m., at the New Orleans Convention Center, Room 338.
Past and Upcoming ALA Annual Conference Programs
- “#BlackLivesMatter: Documenting a Digital Protest Movement,” at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, FL, 2016.
- “Curating Activism in LGBT History,” at the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA, 2015.
- “The Current State of Bibliography, and its future as practiced and supported in Special Collections Libraries,” at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, June 24, 2012.
- “You Can’t Always Get What You Want / But Sometimes You Get What You Need : Special Collections in Tough Economic Times,” at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, June 26, 2011.
- “To Catch a Thief: Cataloging and the Security of Special Collections,” at the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC, June 27, 2010.
- “Action! Setting Preservation Priorities and Ensuring Access to Your Moving Image Collections,” at the ALA Annual Conference, Sunday, in Anaheim, CA, June 29, 2008.
- “Collecting World Cultures: African, Asian, Caribbean, and Native American Materials in Chicago Institutions,” at the 2005 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL, June 26, 2005. [PDF]
RBMS Preconference Scholarship Program Assessment
At the request of the ACRL Board, RBMS conducted an assessment of the impact of its preconference scholarship program assessment on membership recruitment and retention. The report is available for download as a Word document.
RBMS/ALA Annual and Midwinter Meeting Schedules
- 2018 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2017 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2017 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2016 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2016 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2015 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2015 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2014 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2014 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2013 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2013 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2012 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2012 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2011 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2011 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2010 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2010 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2009 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2009 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2008 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2008 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2007 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2007 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2006 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2006 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2005 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2005 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2004 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2004 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2003 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2003 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2002 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2002 Midwinter Meeting Schedule
- 2001 Annual Meeting Schedule
- 2000 Midwinter Meeting Schedule