Barbara Austen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:        v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}            st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }           Thank you to all who responded to my question about marking manuscripts.  Evidently there is no consensus on this issue.  Many of you share my concern about defacing a valuable document.  But if you plan to keep it forever, is reducing the market value really important?

I don't think any of the replies to the list addressed this directly, but I don't see how a library mark, discretely applied to an item of particular value, would decrease the market value of this item. In the event your institution, for whatever reason, deaccessioned this item, the mark would constitute proof of provenance, a link in the chain of ownership. Considering the current scandals in the world of Greek and Italian antiquities, I should think that a clear chain of ownership could never hurt, and indeed might even increase, the value of an item, at least in the legitimate market. (See the delightful cartoon, "The Maggs--de  Nobele--Quaritch--Elte--Parikian--Wormser--Pedersen--Magee--Grant Copy ..." in Ronald Searle's _Slightly Foxed--but still desirable_.)



--
Michael Palmer, MLIS
Claremont, California
[log in to unmask]
 		
---------------------------------
How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger’s low  PC-to-Phone call rates.

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask]
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask]

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>