Book studies is an interdisciplinary field that considers the role of books in cultural and material history. Individuals interested in this field of study may consider becoming rare books librarians. There is overlap between the areas of special collections and rare books librarianships, but rare books librarians typically work with published materials, both hand-pressed and machine pressed, while special collections librarians may work with a wider selection of materials. Rare books librarians develop specialized subject knowledge in book materials, construction, and preservation needs.

Those interested in this field may choose to pursue studio courses in book arts, such as those offered in the UICB Certificate in Book Studies program.

Some suggested courses for this area of study

SLIS:6330 Archives: Theory and Practice
SLIS:6130 Community Engagement
SLIS:6335 Metadata Theories and Applications
SLIS:6345 Stewardship of Information and Collections
SLIS:5600 Reading Culture: History and Research in Print and Digital Media
SLIS:6145 Digital Preservation and Stewardship
SLIS:6250 Beginning Cataloging and Classification