The 1920s (mass produced) school books in question were inherited by someone who posted a question -- how best to protect them. I believe the heir has, by now, found out as much as he needs to know. Okiver Hirsch has elevated their cultural value to a lofty level indeed. I have followed the frugal approach to protecting boxes of 100-year-old books at home, (wrapping each item in kraft paper) and use all the right materials to save those directly related to family history. Anyone interested in a 1900 set of Harvard Classics missing the 18th volume? Ross Weeks Jr. ----- Original Message ----- From: Janice Klein <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2000 12:43 PM Subject: Re: school books > I am reminded of my "Fourth Law of Museum Work": > > You can't save everything > > Not every piece of material culture can go into a museum or be preserved, > and certainly not forever. Choices -- and often difficult ones -- need to > be made about what is kept. And even once in museums choices need to be > made about level of use ("total" preservation, exhibit, research, > destructive analysis). And those choices may change over time: what was > once common may become rare and need more preservation and less use. > > Janice Klein > Director, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Kendall College > [log in to unmask] > > -----Original Message----- > From: Okiver V Hirsch <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Saturday, April 15, 2000 11:33 AM > Subject: Re: school books > > > >Mr. Weeks comment, while not reflecting a particularly scholarly > >attitude, reflects an outlook that has certainly given rise to > >labyrinthine scholarly pursuits over the centuries. That is, had modern > >folk stored ephemera, say, in 17th century Florence, rather than carting > >books and the like off to the land (or water) fill, we would probably > >know a good bit more of importance than we do now. > > > >If one can't store "ephemera" that holds potentially > >interesting/informative/valuable information, then at least digitalize > >the material so that generations down the line can evaluate what is > >landfill-worthy, and what is important. It is certainly too early for us > >to make that call. > > > >Oliver Hirsch > >Hirsch & Associates Fine Art Services, Inc. > >New York > . > > ========================================================= > Important Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).