One of the most unique things about the University of Illinois, of course, is our absolutely massive library system. This, of course, means that the University has a ton of specialized libraries for almost every subject, the most interesting being the Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML), which has some of the most historically significant texts in world history, right here in Champaign-Urbana.
Today, they’ve announced the hire of a new Director, Lynn M. Thomas, an alumnus of the U of I’s Library and Information Science program, who will oversee all of the RBML’s initiatives moving forward.
For more information, check out this blog post from the University of Illinois Library, and a snippet below:
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Exactly 20 years after starting work as a graduate assistant in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Lynne M. Thomas is returning as the new head of the library.
Thomas, who earned her master’s degree in library and information sciences at the University of Illinois in 1999, has been the curator of rare books and special collections at Northern Illinois University since 2004 and the head of distinctive collections there since 2014. She’ll begin her appointment at the library and assume the Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Rare Book and Manuscript Library Professorship on Sept. 1.
“One of the things I learned at the U. of I. is the importance of the concept that rare books are for everyone,” Thomas said. “These are important parts of our cultural heritage, and we make history available for everyone in a hands-on fashion that balances protection of the materials with making them accessible to the public.”