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
Laliberte, 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