Module Identifier DS36210  
Module Title INTRODUCTION TO RARE BOOK LIBRARIANSHIP  
Academic Year 2002/2003  
Co-ordinator Mr Christopher M Baggs  
Semester Available all semesters  

Learning outcomes

After completing this module you should be able to:

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