Arranging “the library of babel”: Special collections, undergraduate research, and librarian engagement

Undergraduate research offers academic librarians and archivists an additional motivation to engage students with special collections. Curriculum design, course instruction, and mentoring by librarians and archivists can benefit not only students but also the institution as well. I explore an example of such engagement with a collection of New Jersey sheet music. The project gives students experience producing work with real-world implications. In addition, it increases digital holdings, reduces the backlog of under-cataloged materials, demonstrates the archive’s unique value to the institution, and makes new information available to scholars nationally and internationally.