Written by An interesting insight and suggestion from Brian Bishop, reflecting on posts a few weeks ago. Post your comments, please.
There was a couple of notices in the latest Classics Library summary, from time to time in other summaries, and from time to time on the Latinteach list, in which teachers want to get rid of their library for some reason or other. From what I can tell there were no rarities in those notices, although I may be wrong, which would be a shame.
In my case I have acquired about 4’6” of editions of Virgil, including recent and very old annotated editions. I have acquired about 3ft. of Cicero. There is aboutabout 9’ of similarly sundry items in and about other Classical authors. I have about 4’ of later Latin works spread over the centuries to today. That is before I look at the about 8’ of dictionaries and grammars and books about the language from various countries.
Now, doubtless most of these will be very much duplicates of what other teachers and libraries possess; but I am sure that there are some that are unique. As well as individuals, some schools and universities are constrained to downsize, and the unnecessary Classics publications will be for the chop. Are those items to do with Latin to be consigned to the waste paper bin, without somebody on hand to rescue some, as I did when a high school shut down its Latin?
Yes, space and curating in University and school libraries is money. Is this the reason to condemn non-duplicates? Does it indicate that we have no hope that Latin will ever recover? For example, I cannot practically expect or wish that all the unwanted copies of the ‘Cambridge Latin course’ be preserved for ever.
I have encountered this problem with another collection of books on an even less usual subject. I was fortunate to find a library that has accepted them. However, they have adopted a policy of selling off “duplicates”, even though they may be the only two in the world, on e-bay. I am encouraging them to circulate the items by internet to relevant libraries, public and private, in this country and overseas, in the first place, and then to consider how important remaining unwanted publications are.
May I suggest that this is a matter for official members of the Classics Library and of J.A.C.T. to consider and formulate a policy.
