Click here to read a Q & A with Robert Darnton, a cultural historian and the Director of Harvard University's library system, on the proposed Digital Public Library of America. Mr. Darnton made one comment in particular that speaks to worried murmurs in rare book trade: One thing we have learned from the new discipline known as “the history of the book” is that one means of communication does ... [more]

Over the past three years, the Center for Book Arts in New York City undertook a collections initiative spearheaded by executive director Alexander Campos. The goal of this initiative was to "organize, rehouse, catalogue and digitize" the work of books artists who have trained, exhibited or worked at the CBA over the past four decades. The results of this project will be displayed at the CBA in an... [more]

The British Library has just unveiled a new iPad application that allows users to peruse more than 60,000 19th century books. All of the titles are in the public domain and, unlike e-books, are scanned versions of the original texts and include maps and original illustrations. The British Library partnered with Bibliolabs to create the app. Bibliolabs is a development company that specializes in t... [more]

May 23, 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the New York Public Library's landmark building, the Stephen A. Schwarzman building. To commemorate the occasion, the Library has put together a major exhibition entitled "Celebrating 100 Years", which opened this past weekend. The exhibit displays 250 items chosen from the Library's vast collection of over 60 million pieces, and is divid... [more]

From the ACRL Insider: "Complete backfiles of Rare Books & Manuscripts Librarianship (RBML), the predecessor of RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage, are now available on the publication Web site. ACRL received a grant from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation to assist in making volumes 1-12 of the publication discoverable and available online through the HighWire Pres... [more]

The ABAA was delighted to have Professor Adrian Johns of the University of Chicago lecture at the 2011 California International Antiquarian Book Fair. His talk was entitled The Promise and Peril of Universal Libraries, and Professor Johns is kind enough to let us republish the text on our blog and website. Enjoy! ******************************* The Promise and Peril of Universal Libraries Adrian ... [more]

The Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University has recently acquired a collection of 280 rare books and manuscripts concerning scientific discoveries. Included in the collection are a 1495 edition of the works of Aristotle; a 1613 first edition of Galileo's illustrated treatise on the discovery of sunspots; a 1687 first edition of Newton's The Principia; and the first print appearance of Darwi... [more]

After undergoing extensive renovations, the McKim Building at the Morgan Library and Museum is set to reopen to the public on October 30th. Originally, the building was the private study and library of Pierpont Morgan, and was designed in the style of the High Renaissance. The $4.5 million renovation is truly a gift to the public, as it has greatly enhanced the exhibition space, allowing for more ... [more]

A brief blog post about recent acquisitions by the Wolfsonian-FIU Rare Books and Special Collections Library, can be read here. Some interesting photos of WWII propaganda leaflets, especially in light of our recent NCBCC winning bibliography, submitted by Andrew Fink and entitled An Interdisciplinary Survey of 20th Century Propaganda. To read more about and see additional examples of Psychological... [more]

The University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute will be the new home for the Mackie Family History of Neuroscience Collection, and students and faculty alike are thrilled. The collection was started forty years ago by Dr. Robert Gordon, a now-retired neurologist, when he acquired the medical library of a distinguished physician. It is comprised of rare neurology books, some over 500 years ol... [more]

The Chapin Library at Williams College has recently acquired a 19th-century Qur'an manuscript from the Ottoman Empire. It measures six and one eighth inches long and four inches wide, and has a wallet style binding. Assistant Librarian Wayne G. Hammond describes the manuscript's condition as "superb", the result of the binding style, which protected the pages, and he surmises that, given its size,... [more]