A Great Question
April 9, 2007
Over at PersonaNonData, Michael Cairns asks, Why don’t Libraries Have Publishing Programs?
My introduction to Charles Bukowski occurred via the display cases inside the Boston University library lobby, and I was drawn to them because I happened to be working in the library’s special collections department at the time. The special collections department at BU is quite renowned and was established by Dr. Howard Gotlieb who recently died. (Gotlieb actually wrote one of my recommendations for business school). My job was less intellectual than hired muscle since the library was becoming so overwhelmed with boxed submissions they needed someone to unload the stuff and place the materials in uniform boxes on shelves. I didn’t have too much time to peruse the material in some of these boxes but I do recall a wealth of material from from Herbert Swope and Fletcher Knebel, who’s boxes were filled with photos of JFK and his family while they were all in the White House.
Some of the material deposited wasn’t quite so moving or important (at least to my eyes) and in many cases it was clear that entire desk draws had been upended into a box and sent off to BU. These boxes often included things like gum, blank paper, pens, pennies, paper clips and other detritus which had minimal residual value to scholars. BU did have several archivists responsible for cataloging the vast amount of stuff that was deposited. They seemed to work fairly methodically (slowly) to identify the important material and provide tables of content for scholars. Increasingly, the material in formal special collections libraries like BU and in local libraries is being digitized and there is little doubt that this will accelerate.
Posted by Bill Trippe at April 9, 2007 9:53 AM
