The IFLA Competency Guidelines for Rare Books and Special Collections Professionals

Abstract

In 2020 the IFLA Rare Book and Special Collections Section (RBSC) published the Competency Guidelines for Rare Books and Special Collections Professionals. The guidelines are divided into five chapters and are intended as a white paper for all librarians dealing special collections. The document focuses on the figure of the librarian, his interactions with the collections owned by the cultural institution in which he works, his relations with the users. A remarkable tool especially from the point of view of professional ethics, the IFLA standard defines ideal situations to which documentation professionals can look for the strengthening of their knowledge.