GSLIS alumnus and adjunct professor Sidney E. Berger (MS '87) presents a landmark examination of rare books and special collections in his latest book, recently published by ALA-Neal Shuman. Rare Books and Special Collections provides a meticulous and systematic understanding of this growing area, aimed at practitioners and instructors of library and information science, booksellers, private collectors, historians, bibliophiles, and others involved in rare and unique materials. This wide-ranging book covers key topics such as the profession’s history and its relevance in the face of an increasingly digital world; reference and outreach services; legal and ethical issues; and the present state of books in our digital environment.
Berger is the Ann C. Pingree director of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum. He is coproprietor of the Doe Press, which hand-prints books of poetry and other works, some by Pulitzer Prize winners. Since 2002, he has been a professor English, communications, and LIS at Simmons College. He is also an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Illinois, where he teaches courses including Rare Book and Special Collections Librarianship, History of the Book, The Book as Physical Object, Medieval Codicology, Bibliography, and Paper in the Scholarly World. He has published and lectured widely on literary, bibliographical, and LIS subjects.