Valuing your collection: a practical guide for museums, libraries and archives

摘要

The subtitle for this volume states its intent to be 'a practical guide for museums libraries and archives/The preface further describes the scope, focus and intended audience for the guide: examining the issues around valuing objects, the difference between value and worth; focusing on fine art collections, but drawing on a wider range of examples; aimed at 'the non-specialist required to assign values for a variety of reasons' and 'designed to give confidence in decisionmaking.'The back cover of the book describes it as 'useful for curators of cultural collections, professionals in museums, libraries and archives, cultural heritage students, private collectors, those involved with art insurance, art business and anyone requiring practical guidance on valuation' - an ambitiously long list for a relatively slim volume. This review is focused on the archivist as reader, whether early- or mid-career, and especially lone workers, for whom the issues are likely to be most challenging and the need for practical guidance most marked.