New York Public Library...

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Dustin Stinett
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New York Public Library...

Postby Dustin Stinett » June 19th, 2003, 7:52 am

The NYPL has a site dedicated to the Performing Arts in America; 1875 - 1923.

http://dlc.nypl.org/lpa/nypl/home.html

Enter "magician" into the search engine and you'll find a few hits on Thurston and Kellar.

Further investigation may be worth while.

Dustin

Sal Perrotta
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Re: New York Public Library...

Postby Sal Perrotta » June 30th, 2003, 7:16 pm

Dustin...F.Y.I...the NYPL is a wonderful resource that used to house the SARAM ELLISON COLLECTION. It had been transferred to the PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION AT LINCOLN CENTER. Unfortunately, the library did not take very good care of it. This came to the attention of some members of SAM ....who have recently removed it. The part that has been removed is the book collection. There was also a great deal of ephemera, scrapbooks and other misc. items. These items are randomly scattered and buried within the collection. There is no comprehensive list of what is left. I work several blocks away from the NYPL and THE PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION AT LINCOLN CENTER. When I do have free time I go and hunt for and try to find out what is still there. MOST of the odds and ends have NOT made it on to the data base....a lot of the ephemera is in the card catalogue and LOST in the collection. If there is something in particular you are looking for ...let me know, and I WILL take a look in the parts of the collection that are not in the data base.... best regards, sal

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Re: New York Public Library...

Postby Guest » July 3rd, 2003, 1:11 pm

The NYPL is a great, useful resource. HOWEVER, the previous post shows the caution one should have in deciding to leave books/papers to libraries or museums. Note to protect the collection, S.A.M. members had to REMOVE it from the neglect of an otherwise fine, facility.
Please read Leo Behnke's "The Conservation of Magic", or Nicholson Baker's. "Double Fold-Libraries assault on Paper". They show(truthfully) across the country, "libraries" are dumping ROOMS of books and papers, they feel have little interest. When some donate a collection, they now include an endowment to fund preserving it, and legal papers, securing the preservation of the material. It is frightening to know the disregard these "guardians" can have, including, "some magic stuff" in the back room they could use the room for. To improve(?) the new San Francisco downtown library, they spent millions on a new building, and dumped,(destroyed) 200,000 books in a land fill, because they took up too much room.(in a library!)
Unbelievable, but true...please use caution in dealing with different institutions.

CHRIS
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Re: New York Public Library...

Postby CHRIS » July 3rd, 2003, 2:25 pm

That's why Lybrary.com is 'preserving one book at a time'.

Chris Wasshuber

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Dustin Stinett
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Re: New York Public Library...

Postby Dustin Stinett » July 3rd, 2003, 6:49 pm

Sal,

I'm not after anything in particular right now, but I will keep your offer in mind. Thanks.

The information you and Diego passed on is unsettling, needless to say. It makes me wonder just how much is lost in the libraries (public, at universities, etc.) around the country. It also makes me want to go treasure hunting!

Dustin

Sal Perrotta
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Re: New York Public Library...

Postby Sal Perrotta » July 3rd, 2003, 7:31 pm

I get a good chuckle because I appears to me that Chris Wasshuber is on a mission from God (ala BLUES BROTHERS)...to get his message out...."preserving one book at a time"......I wonder, would it be more accurate to say...."preserving all the words and pictures in the book...??"....has there been a day on this site where his message is not posted??? My hat is off to you!! Excellent marketing!!

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Re: New York Public Library...

Postby Guest » July 3rd, 2003, 7:42 pm

Dustin,
What I said on the previous post is a sad state of affairs across the country...only more so...the word is out...many are purposely avoiding institutions as they either are uncaring or have a POLICY of "de-acquistioning",(getting rid of) material that takes up room,(books taking up too much room in the library!) that fewer people look at. Nicholson Baker states there is not a complete run of the N.Y. TIMES, anywhere in the U.S., (hard copy or microfilm) many publications and works are gone forever. Those who have collections small or large, should really make plans and make them known, what/where is their wishes for their material.

Sal Perrotta
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Re: New York Public Library...

Postby Sal Perrotta » July 3rd, 2003, 8:43 pm

I agree with the last post!!!

I feel VERY strongly that public institutions should NOT receive magic libraries!! Even when there is an endowment, there is little interest or care for these books. I have heard, for example from several people who have visited BROWN UNIVERSITY that the H. ADRIAN SMITH COLLECTION has its' own room....but there are STEAM PIPES going thru the room from the boiler on a lower floor!! These books are thus subject to premature decay due to excessive humidity!

And as for the NYPL ....my experience has not been great. I have heard that many of the most rare books had disappeared BEFORE SAM could get them. I have had conversations with the library staff who have basically said that a book, if is in bad shape, is disposed of! In general it appears that public instutions do not have any interest in the scarcity of the book only whether it has checked out many times.

CHRIS
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Re: New York Public Library...

Postby CHRIS » July 4th, 2003, 4:38 am

Libraries are only one way of passing on ones collection. In my opinion it is much better to sell or auction ones library once it is time to pass it on. This assures that other enthusiasts, people who know what they are getting, receive your books and will care for them. Libraries don't know and don't care.

Chris Wasshuber
preserving magic one book at a time

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Dustin Stinett
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Re: New York Public Library...

Postby Dustin Stinett » July 4th, 2003, 11:48 am

In this day & age, that is becoming a necessity. A good friend of mine refers to his library as his "retirement fund: when I need a prescription, I'll sell a book."

Unless my son takes an interest, my humble library is to be sold when I run out of air to breathe; a decision I made long ago (though I'm still holding out hope for my son).

Given this information that has come to light, I'm glad that is the decision I made. One thing is for sure (also given this disclosure): It is imperative that we make such decisions now, and put them in writing for our family so they know what to do. Otherwise, the collection could end up at a library simply because our survivors didn't know what else to do.

Dustin


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