After completing this module you should be able to:
define the nature and purpose of rare-book libraries;
discuss the history of the printed book in Western Europe, especially in Britain;
identify the principal physical characteristics of a printed book of the hand-press period;
explain the general principles of the printing process in the hand-press period;
explain the roles of the various tradesmen and craftsmen within the book trade, such as printer, bookseller, binder, papermaker, compositor;
demonstrate how to identify a book of the hand-press period using the standard bibliographical reference tools for English printed materials;
analyse the main curatorial and management problems facing a rare-books librarian, including security, conservation, information technology, and reader services;
devise a promotional strategy for a rare-books collection
Brief description
This is the first of two modules on rare-books librarianship and it provides a general introduction to this specialist field. It gives a brief overview of the development of the printed book in the hand-press period (to approximately 1850) and examines the problems of identifying and making available valuable and early printed materials in libraries.
The aim of this module is to enable students to identify materials in a rare-books collection and give them the appropriate curatorial care, give help and advice to the general public about materials in a rare-books collection, and to deal appropriately with bibliographical queries and promotion.
Reading Lists
Books ** Essential Reading Brown, Margaret R. (1982)
Boxes for the protection of rare books : their design & construction (pp9-27). Washington, D.C. : Preservation Office, Research Services, Library of Congress
Clair, Col. (1965)
A History of Printing in Britain (pp7–26, 107–11). London: Cassell
Cooper, Marg.
A Snuff-Box from the King of Prussia: The Remarkable Career of Benjamin Maund, Bookseller, Druggist & Botanist’, in The Reach of Print: Making, Selling & Using Books. Eds Peter Isaac and Barry McKay (pp51–64). 1998. Winchester: St Paul’s Bibliographies
Johns, Adr. (1998)
The nature of the book: print and knowledge in the making (pp201–213). Chicago
McKerrow, Ronald B. (1967)
An introduction to bibliography for literary students (pp222–30). Oxford: Clarendon Press
Shaw, David and Sarah Gray. (1998)
James Abree (1691?–1768): Canterbury’s first “modern” printer’, in Isaac, P. and B. McKay, The reach of print: making, selling and using books (pp21–36). Winchester, Delaware: St Paul’s Bibliographies, Oak Knoll Press
Shepard, Leslie. (1973)
The varieties of street literature, in The History of Street Literature (pp11-36). Newton Abbot: David & Charles
Steinberg, Sigfrid H. (1996)
Five Hundred Years of Printing (pp121–126). new ed.. London: British Library & Oak Knoll
** Recommended Background Carter, J. (1994)
ABC for book collectors. 7th. New Castle, Del.: Oak Knoll Press
Philip Gask. (1995)
A new introduction to bibliography. Winchester: St Paul’s Bibliographies
Twyman, M. (1998)
The British Library Guide to Printing: history and techniques. London: British Library
Articles ** Essential Reading Allen, Susan M. (1998)
Theft in libraries and archives: what to do during the aftermath of a theft. Journal of Library Administration, 25.1, pp3–13
Bateson, Mark and Richard L. (1999)
Social club or compulsory experience: reflections on the proper role of volunteers in record offices. Journal of the Society of Archivists, 20.1, pp75–81
Books Black, Jer. (1990)
Calculated upon a Very Extensive and Useful Plan” – the English Provincial Press in the Eighteenth Century. Six Centuries of the Provincial Book Trade in Britain. Ed. Peter Isaac (pp61–72). Winchester: St Paul’s Bibliographies
Articles Gray, Sar. (1996)
Children in Cathedral Libraries. Youth Library Review, 21, pp6–12
Josephson, D. (1999)
Mounting exhibitions at the Bodleian Library, parts I and II. Paper Conservation News, 89
Kamel, P. (1999)
Conservation treatment of rare books. Feliciter, 45.2, pp108–112
Laliberté, Fr. (1998)
The storage and security of rare books. Feliciter, 44.9, pp46–52
Line, Maurice B. (1996)
What do people need of libraries, and how can we find out?. Australian Academic and Research Libraries, 27.2, pp77–86
Morgan G. and Smith, J. G. (1997)
Disaster management in libraries: the role of the disaster plan. South African Journal of Library and Information Science, 65.1., pp62–71
Patkus, Beth L.
Collection security: the preservation perspective. Feliciter, 44.9
Siess, J. (1999)
Library promotion: self-serving or just good sense. The One-person Library, 15.10, pp1–3.
Smith, Elizabeth H. (1999)
Mold abatement in a remote storage facility. Library & Archival Security, 15.1, pp75–82
Soete, George and Zimmerman G.
Management of Library Security. Online. Available: http://museum-security.org/indexdefinitief.html, 22 June. 2000
Young, Sophie and Green St. (1999)
Out of sight out of mind. Library Association Record, 101, pp219–220