Building Collections: Acquiring Materials and Working with the Antiquarian Book Trade

Abstract

The workshop is primarily intended for librarians working at all types of institutions and with all levels of budgets who are responsible for acquisition and collection development of special collections materials. The session will also be of interest to individual collectors and dealers. The purpose is to provide attendees with practical information which can be utilized for building collections and developing beneficial relationships with members of the antiquarian book trade. Although the emphasis will be on printed materials, manuscripts and archives will also be discussed. The workshop will include the context and history of special collections, collection development, and institutional interaction with the trade, particularly in the United States. Practical matters will include materials on the market, auctions, online sources, comparing prices, purchasing collections, deaccessioning, and provenance issues. A full reading list will be provided.