In special libraries, we are often charged with the duty to cover subjects from every possible angle, even if they're controversial. Many academic libraries hold the papers of politically divisive figures, and the Baseball Hall of Fame has the collection of hate mail that Jackie Robinson received. Each of these collections is important for research purposes, but the politics behind developing them can get very hairy indeed. How do you display them? Catalog them? How does your average patron view this collection verses a serious researcher? How do you explain this collection to your board members who might not understand why it exists? This will be a lively presentation of different controversial collections and a discussion of how they have been developed and presented to both the public and their organizations.
