Ten Commandments for Special Collections Librarians in the Digital Age

The speakers for “Rare and Special Bytes: Special Collections in the Digital Age,” the 2008 Rare Books and Manuscripts Section Preconference, presented an exceptional array of ideas and opportunities for our profession to consider as we confront the challenges of the digital age. The sands are shifting under our feet on an almost daily basis. How to keep up and make the best decisions going forward? Are there any basic principles to guide us toward the most productive responses and actions? In this paper I propose ten principles. I freely admit that “principles” is too grand a word—perhaps they’re . . .