Re: Personal Book Question

[rmhowe <magnusm@ncsu.edu>]

Poster: rmhowe <magnusm@ncsu.edu>

> Poster: Julien de Montfort <julien@spiaggia.org>
> 
> > Pray forgive the intrusion.  I beg for all to participate in settling an
> > arguement between my Lord and myself.
> 
> I'll go on record as a half-point to either side.  If a book is old,
> rare, well night-irreplacable or very fragile, then I treat it with
> the utmost care (one I keep in a plastic bag because it is nearing
> disintegration...).
> 
> Otherwise, I tend to abuse the poor things... A well-worn book is a
> well-loved book!
> 
> Julien

Yeah! What he said. Our house is a local research library.

We have a great many books. My worst crime is to dog ear
the pages of greatest interest to me in many of the books.
If they are rare, or extremely expensive, I don't do it. But
when you own thousands and you are looking for particular 
illustrations or passages you are lucky to remember the books
you want, trying to find the items in them you want is worse. 
Books are tools, and like tools are meant to be used. I just 
take care where I dog ear the pages so as not to ruin 
illustrations somewhere else. If we are looking to copy some 
important item in a book we own we simply post-it note it 
until we hit the copier when we remove them. Beware of using 
post-its on books with deteriorating paper.

If it is a rare book or very expensive, I sometimes make notes
on 4 X 6 cards and deposit them within the books. Many good
books now are well over $100, or in that range for those of 
eclectic interests like us. Especially European books.

Besides, books these days are unlike the books of yesteryear.
Most of them have acidic paper of some degree in them, unlike 
rag paper of before, and paperback glues don't last forever.
Investors/Collectors would have a different view. Used
you'll only get 25% for them at a store. Selling them yourself
you'll do better. That may influence your views. We've done all.

Those who borrow our books are sternly admonished not to 
undog-ear anything, and if copying, not to break the spines.
If you loan books, as we do to people we know, I suggest that 
you keep a check out box with addresses and phone numbers 
to remind the both of you. You'll need it. In 16 years we've
lost only a couple but some people will abuse the privileges.
The rule is it comes back like it left - in a reasonable
amount of time. We provide plastic bags to protect them.

Like tools, books unused, or unshared, benefit no one.
The wife, by the way, works at the NCSU library and does not
normally beat me for such transgressions.

Praise Dover,
Magnus
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