“The Beginning Is the Most Important Part of the Work”: Discovering Professional Identity and Purpose at the 2012 RBMS Preconference

Abstract

The 2012 RBMS Preconference was my first experience participating in a professional, rather than academic, conference; as someone relatively new to the Section, and moreover to the world of rare books and manuscripts generally, naturally I was not entirely sure what to expect. At the same time I did have in mind a certain idea of what I hoped to gain from the experience, and looking back I think that for the most part I realized most of these more concrete goals. However, the greatest benefits for me, as so often seems to happen, were in hindsight also those that . . .