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This article seeks to understand the current state of the field of special collections library administration in the United States. Using a dataset gathered through publicly available information about special collections directors from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Independent Research Libraries Association (IRLA), and the Oberlin Group institutional members, the authors explore the educational backgrounds of directors, the types of positions they held prior to taking on their current roles, and the effect of gender on leadership advancement. This article also discusses the similarities and differences between institution types as well as promotions within institutions and across types of institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the future condition of the library collections for adults in the U.S. that requires to rethink what will be collected, how to collect and make the collections available. It states that libraries are far from the traditional quite place due to the emergence of technological innovations that allow library users to connect and use all available resources to gain knowledge. The need for librarians to cope up with the technological advances is also emphasized.