Library Deaccessioning: A Dealer’s Perspective

Abstract

In his Rosenbach Lectures of 1986, Terry Belanger showed graphically the immense ballooning of the size of U.S. academic libraries, and most people in the book world—especially collectors, booksellers, and librarians—until rather recently expected continued, steady growth of our rare book and special collections departments. Current budgets have taught otherwise. Change is not a buzzword but a byword. Change is one of life’s constants, yet it is perhaps the hardest constant to accept. Among the changes taking place in our nation’s rare book and special collections departments is deaccessioning, a topic that has recently been aired an EXLIBRIS, . . .