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2007 RBMS Preconference

The RBMS Preconference is currently sold out due to popular demand.

The 48th annual RBMS Preconference,  From Here to Ephemerality: Fugitive Sources in Libraries, Archives, and Museums, will be held from Tuesday, June 19 to Friday, June 22, 2007, in Baltimore, Maryland, a short distance away from Washington, D.C., the site of the ALA Annual Conference. 

This will be the first time that an RBMS Preconference will explore the theme of ephemera in libraries, archives, and museums.  Ephemera collections have traditionally been neglected by institutions and have been underutilized by scholars; they provide unique challenges in cataloging, preservation, and access.  The goals of the Preconference will be to explore these issues, and to uncover the value of building and using ephemera collections to their full potential.  There will be five plenary sessions, encompassing: ephemerality; the scholarly uses of ephemera; dealers' perspectives on ephemera; collecting and collectors of ephemera; and the care and management of ephemera collections in institutions.  The sixth and final plenary session will be a wrap-up of the entire conference.  Plenary speakers include internationally renowned scholars, collectors, and library and museum curators.  In addition to the plenary sessions, there will be twelve short papers further developing aspects of the theme, and nine seminars offering a more practical or case-study approach to the topic.  Two full-day workshops, to be held on Tuesday, June 19, will also be offered.  The ABAA Southeast Chapter will host a booksellers' showcase from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.in the registration area.

The Preconference will be based in Baltimore's Mount Vernon neighborhood, home to several institutions of particular interest to RBMS members, including the George Peabody Library, one of Johns Hopkins University's special collections libraries, the Walters Art Museum, the main branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library and its special collections, and the Maryland Historical Society.  The Preconference will include one day of sessions on the Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University, with transportation provided from the Preconference hotel.  Sessions will also be held at the Tremont Grand meeting facility, a spectacularly restored building that was originally constructed in 1866 and was rebuilt in 1907 as the Grand Lodge of the Maryland Masonic Temple.  It is next door to the Preconference hotel, the Tremont Plaza an all-suites hotel conveniently located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, with easy access to many of Baltimore's attractions. 

In addition to finding opulent, state-of-the-art meeting facilities and outstanding hotel accommodations, the 2007 Local Arrangements Committee has been hard at work providing a rich menu of entertainment options for Preconference attendees.  The Johns Hopkins University is the primary host of the Pre-conference, and its rich special collections at The George Peabody Library and Evergreen House will be featured during evening receptions.  The George Peabody Library, one of the most beautiful cast-iron structures in America, built in 1878, is the site of the opening reception; a casual picnic dinner at Evergreen House will cap off the preconference.  Other events include a Wednesday night reception, and a variety of tours to libraries and museums in the Baltimore area.  Baltimore has never hosted an RBMS Preconference, and our colleagues at Johns Hopkins University and other institutions around the city are eager to showcase their collections and their magnificent city.