ABSTRACT
This chapter documents the inaugural cohort of the CUNY Rare Book Scholars, whose pedagogical mission is to introduce undergraduate students to rare book and manuscript research by bringing them in contact with archival materials, special collections, librarians and curators, book collectors, and antiquarian booksellers. It recommends approaches for initiating a generation of young scholars into the world of bibliography by staging points of connection with various moments in the life of a book object. How might young undergraduates prepare for working with rare and antiquarian books? How might budding scholars contribute fresh perspectives to the field? Activities designed for the CUNY Rare Book Scholars seek to create inclusive experiences embedded with messages of equity and collegiality—experiences made valuable not despite the students’ youth or inexperience but because of it. By learning about the impressive lifespan of a book and interacting with rare books firsthand, students can reimagine their own unique role in a book’s life.
