Alison Cullingford is Head of Library and Collections at Durham Cathedral, where she leads the team responsible for stewardship of the Cathedral’s collections of medieval manuscripts, early printed books, archives, and objects. Previously she was Special Collections Librarian at the University of Bradford, where she was responsible for over 100 collections of modern archives and rare books and also managed the Unique and Distinctive Collections project for Research Libraries UK. An active member of the CILIP Rare Books and Special Collections Group and many other sector groups, Alison regularly presents at conferences, blogs and tweets on the importance of the special collections librarian.
'The Special Collections Handbook, third edition by experienced special collections librarian Alison Cullingford is an ideal and unreservedly recommended textbook for college and university Library Science curriculums and instructional reference collections, as well as an essential instructional resource for the personal and professional reading lists of both novice and experienced librarians, including special collection custodians and stewards.' * The Midwest Book Review *