Ambassadors of the Book
September 30, 2011
I’m really looking forward to the RBMS Midterm in Antwerp next February. Entitled ‘Ambassadors of the Book: Competences for Heritage Librarians’ it will discuss the education of the next generation of rare books specialists.
From the IFLA RBMS website:
What are the competences needed for the heritage librarians of the future, and how can these competences be taught at different levels of library education? Those questions will be discussed during an international conference at the University of Antwerp (Belgium), on 1 and 2 February 2012. During two days, librarians and people in charge of library teaching programmes will be invited to confront their ideas. It is hoped that presentations of best practices during the conference will serve as inspiring models of new programmes in the future, and that at the end of the conference, some consensus may be reached about the range of competences needed.
The paper that’s been accepted is based on the research I did for my PG Cert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, which found that practical activities not only help build practical skills but also aid in conceptual learning.
I can’t wait to meet others who teach Historical Bibliography across Europe (and possibly the USA), and to hear from those still in practice exactly what they are looking for from new professionals.
It will also be fantastic to be back in Antwerp – a city I’ve not visited for around 15 years. It will be great to see first-hand the Museum Plantin-Moretus – I’m assuming that there will be a group excursion to this treasurehouse of early modern printing (and if not, I’ll be heading there on my own). By coincidence one of my students gave me a copy of the guidebook for the museum, which includes lots of lush pictures of printing presses and type. Roll on February 2012.
Image: Bust of Christopher Plantin by Jim Forest. Copyright commons, some rights reserved.
This blog entry was written and posted on 25 October 2011.
