IS THERE A FUTURE FOR SPECIAL COLLECTIONS? AND SHOULD THERE BE? A POLEMICAL ESSAY

Of the holy trinity—collecting, preserving, and making accessible precious books, manuscripts, and other special materials—preservation takes precedence. 1 Following are three brief prefatory notes that will be helpful in understanding this essay. First, readers should note that the word polemical appears in the essay’s title. I ask the reader’s indulgence in understanding that I mean this word literally. The essay is a polemic. Intended to be serious, it is not therefore also intended to be “balanced” or “fair.” In addition, it is an essay, not a paper; and its informality of style is intended to reflect a difference between these two . . .