Tag: 10. November 2008

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/2263809

One of New Zealand’s oldest schools is selling rare New Zealand books and artwork dating back to the 18th century to help fund repairs for their ageing buildings.

The rare books and artwork will go under the hammer later this week.

See also:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/nelsonmail/4752260a6510.html

Many of the books had been sitting at the Isel Park museum storage unit for more than 30 years, Mr Lash said.
“The time had come to really think about how relevant they were to the college.”
Seven of the artworks depict a Nelson subject or are related to Nelson’s history, including two rare R P Malcolm paintings of Nelson College’s original wooden building and college house, valued at between $4000 and $10,000.
Dunbar Sloane head of art Helena Walker said the two watercolour paintings, her favourites, were of stunning quality.
It was unusual for a trust to sell so many pieces, and with works of New Zealand historical nature highly desirable, interest from the Nelson community was high, she said. She hoped the paintings would be retained by the community.
Former Nelson art teacher Brian Strong, a Nelson College old boy who taught art in the region for 30 years, said he understood why a school would sell part of a collection if it was finding it hard to make ends meet financially.
He said the John Gully works were interesting because of his link with the school as a past teacher.
“It’s a shame they have got to go, but that’s what collectors do eventually. If the income is for the needs of development, I can understand them putting the works on the market.”

College book collection snapped up at auction
Nelson Mail, New Zealand – 6 Nov 2008
An auction of 180 historic books belonging to Nelson College has raised $60000 for the school, with all but two books sold on Thursday. …
Via Google News (article not available)

Book Auction Catalog, PDF (no provenances given)

It’s very short-sighted to sell heritage items belonging to the own institution’s history …

Image: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/miscpics/0/0/3/doc/mp003051.shtml

http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/crlnews/2008/nov/beautyofsrr.cfm

From the Archives-List:

Since there has been discussion of this matter, I want to be perfectly clear that Princeton University Archivist, Dan Linke, and I argued strenuously to a number of senior university administrators that closing the Michelle Obama thesis would be a mistake and contrary to archival ethics and Princeton policy, both because it had been open, used and copied prior to the closure, because a resolution of the university faculty in the 1970s said that all materials in the university library open to one researcher must be open to all, and that in fact this would not be in the best interest of the Obama campaign. Nonetheless, the thesis was briefly closed at the request of the Obama campaign. Apparently it didn’t take long for the Obama campaign to realize that fact because it soon reversed course and released the thesis to a member of the press who posted it to the Internet, but not bothering to inform the University which in my view was left looking foolish for having closed it however briefly. These of course represent my person view and not those of Princeton University.

Ben Primer
Associate University Librarian for
Rare Books and Special Collections
1 Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544
609-258-3242
609-258-2324-Fax
primer@princeton.edu
http://www.princeton.edu/rbsc