Sender: Rare book and manuscripts <EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Hi Ed,
If I understand your message correctly, you are asking what are libraries'
thinking and experience in reconstituting collections that were originally
separated based on format or other reasons.
At many institutions, it's a fact of life that accessions prior to certain
dates were separated based on format. In some units of The New York Public
Library, I'm aware of collections that were divided into many portions,
sometimes among as many as three different administrative units based on
the format or the content of the material.
Thankfully, we have more recently exerted efforts to reunite this material.
I know of a many collections that have recently been reprocessed, uniting
formerly separated personal papers, books, musical scores, posters,
diagramatic charts (the size of maps), programs, clippings, and
photographs. It takes a bit of effort to locate all this material but
ultimately it's of great value to users - and to the institution that
houses the material. To avoid confusion we usually assign entirely new
call numbers to these reconstituted collections.
Bob Kosovsky, Ph.D., Curator, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Music Division -- The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Listowner: OPERA-L ; SMT-TALK ; SMT-ANNOUNCE ; SoundForge-users
My opinions do not necessarily represent those of my institutions.