Hello,
This isn't quite what you're asking but it covers an aspect of the business.
I am a relatively new buyer & seller of used & rare books, only 15 years. I
believe one of your concerns is finding a method to establish a fair price
for the institution. Not the buyer, essentially that's CAVEAT EMPTOR, within
reason.
It may be helpful to ask a rare book dealer to establish, or assist in
establishing, it's value. Suppose that dealer is me and I believe it has a
value of $3000. Obviously I can't afford to pay full price but I can offer a
third or a half. You then offer it for sale to any and all other interested
parties. You can take as long as you like in finding a full price buyer
since you have me as a back up. Should it sell for the $3000 you've done the
best you can for your institution. If it doesn't sell for the $3000 then I
buy at a price I can afford and you have the satisfaction in knowing you did
the best you could.
The nice thing about this is it assures you my price will be neither high
nor low. It won't be high for obvious reasons. If it's too low then it
will get snapped up by somebody else.
Sorry to take up your time if this is not germane to your question,
Dennis Seekins of "Quiet Friends" used & rare books
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carol Fink" <cfink2@MICHIGAN.GOV>
To: <EXLIBRIS@MAIL.ECW.NAME>
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 3:52 PM
Subject: [EXLIBRIS] Rare Book Acquisition
> Greetings,
> I have a couple of questions about methods used for acquiring/disposing
> of rare books. Is trading an item in a special collection for one that
> is owned by an individual commonly done? What about selling second, etc.
> copies directly to an individual? We'd like to establish guidelines on
> how to handle titles for which we have multiple copies.
>
> Thanks in advance for sharing any methods your institution uses (or
> that you've heard about).
> Carol Fink
> Rare Book Librarian
> Library of Michigan
> cfink2@michigan.gov