SCIENTIFIC RARE BOOK COLLECTIONS IN ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES IN TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICA (DEVELOPMENT, COLLECTORS, ACQUISITIONS METHODS).

摘要

This study is concerned with the development of scientific rare book collections in academic and research libraries in twentieth century America. The focus of the study is on collection building activities. Three major questions are addressed. Is scientific rare book collecting a twentieth century phenomenon? Does it reflect general trends in rare book collecting? Does it follow traditional rare book acquisitions practices?; From a base of 81 collections surveyed, 36 scientific rare book collections were identified and briefly described as a group. The development of scientific rare book collecting in 20th century America is documented from a variety of sources, including rare book dealers' catalogs, exhibition catalogs, archival and manuscript collections, and interviews with librarians, private collectors, and rare book dealers, as well as the published literature. Twentieth century book collecting trends and common rare book acquisitions practices are identified in the published literature.; Three of the 36 collections, the Burndy Library, the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology at the Smithsonian Institution, and the DeGolyer Collection in the History of Science and Technology at the University of Oklahoma, were studied in greater depth, and their genesis and development described in order to compare actual collection building practice with that described in the literature. This portion of the study included on-site visits to the three collections, interviews with collectors and librarians, comparison of holdings against checklists, and examination and analysis of acquisitions records.; In conclusion, scientific rare book collecting and collections are discussed in relation to book collecting trends and common rare book acquisitions practices. The three major questions addressed are answered affirmatively.