This book was born in 2000, when I became the first ever Special Collections Librarian at the University of Bradford in the UK. I took charge of collections that were truly hidden: little known, uncatalogued, underused and vulnerable to damage. With help from colleagues at Bradford and in the profession, I was able to make these collections available to the public for the first time. In 2010, I was thrilled to be asked by Facet Publishing to write this book to share my experience of managing Special Collections with limited resources. Now, in 2021, it is a delight to bring you this fully revised third edition.

A list of acknowledgements for the three editions would be enormous! I must thank my former colleagues at Bradford and my collaborators in the CILIP Rare Books and Special Collections Group, Research Libraries UK and The National Archives. I am also especially grateful to my lovely new colleagues at Durham Cathedral, where I am now Head of Library and Collections, for fresh insights into the management of medieval manuscripts, realia and museums.

On a personal note, once again, many thanks to Simon and to my parents for all their support.