In the past quarter of a century, subtle and important changes in both the subject matter and format of collections organized for special collections departments have taken place, and many special collections now contain significant printed "papers" and manuscript collections of research quality in addition to the printed book. Such materials, which may vary widely in format and content, offer the librarian what is initially an inexpensive way to mount an active collections program that can be as relevant to the community as it is to the research and instruction programs of the university. Indeed, if the special collections department is to play an active role in the intellectual life of the university, special collections librarians must begin to learn how papers and other non-book collections support instruction and research in fields that often bypass the library; for example, the field of popular culture, which has been neglected by librarians, but would be especially suited to special collections. If special collections librarians are to remain information brokers rather than becoming mere caretakers, they must adopt new strategies, e.g., being alert to fields like popular culture that are neglected by other areas of the library, examining existing special collections to identify materials of research value in such fields, and working with the faculty and administration to acquire appropriate collections regardless of the format. Eight references are provided. (KM)