"Rare books, we know, are the sexy part of the library world."

This quote by Daniel Traister from his 1986 article "The Rare Book Librarian's Day" (Rare Books & Manuscripts Librarianship 1, no. 2 (1986): 93-106) pretty much sums up the way I feel about rare books. Sexy? Sure they are. Feel the heft and the texture of the pages, marvel at the patina of aged vellum, the softness of old leather, be dazzled by the superabundance of gold stampings, the play of book cloth patterns and . . . well, you get the idea . . . sexy!

Just like most any other class, the courses at Rare Book School have an advanced reading list and Traister's article is on the list for this year's class. Students are expected to have read the suggested material prior to attending. The first course I attended in 2006 had an advanced reading list of ten full length books. It took me a couple of months to plow through them, take notes, and generally immerse myself in the subject. After that course I knew I could handle graduate school.

The reading list for Introduction to Special Collections Librarianship is quite a bit lighter and includes a variety of material such as the ARL Special Collections Task Force Minutes, with a particular focus on the Special Collections Task Force Final Status Report, 2006. Also included are the ever popular and classic dictionary of terms by John Carter, ABC for Book Collectors. A terrific web resource for the novice and a refresher for the addict, Your Old Books, (ALA, 1994) which serves as a fine introduction to anyone curious about, you guessed it, their old books.

But this afternoon I spent the time with Traister in his rare book world and it was an afternoon well spent. I would highly encourage everyone to read this humorous, self deprecating, and realistic view of "a day in the life" of a rare book librarian. It may not be what you think.

I've been fortunate enough to have a few years of experience volunteering/working in a rare book room and from what I have seen Traister's comments are spot on. You may have every intention of spending your day evaluating a recent donation, guiding a student through the collections or perhaps, dream of dreams, researching a fascinating volume you'd like to get to know (and therefore educate yourself, serve scholars, and become more familar with an item in the collection) but the day seldom unravels that way. I have learned that a rare book librarian must be flexible and ready to adapt plans at a moments notice. Really, it just makes a day more exciting.

Some great takeaway points from the article:

• Attendance at special events, visit's with donors, etc., is work.


• Be ready to be charming and erudite to people you've just met and may never see again on subjects that may or may not interest you.


• Your building supervisor is your friend - who else will let you park in a no parking zone when trying to haul donations in the rain?


• Involve your colleagues. It's fun to share, everybody gets a piece of the action, everybody deserves a voice.


• Co-operate with other institutions. It never hurts and everyone feels good about it.


• Clean up after yourself. The books still have go back on the shelf, the chairs straightened and the room put back in order, even after a long day of special guests, class room visits, and drop in scholars.

In short, even in this fast paced and technologically challenging library world we live in today, every word of Traister's article still rings true after 22 years . . . and the books are sexy.