At the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois a combination of a micro embosser and an non-acidic ink stamp are used. I don't recall how/where the ink stamp is used, but the micro stamp is used on a "secret page". The ink stamp tends to be in an up-front, highly visible place, while the micro stamp is relatively well-hidden. My gut reaction to stamping books and manuscripts is that the value of the item is being decreased. On the other hand, if, on the odd chance, the library deaccessions any of the material, a certain value might be found in the indication of provenance. Just a thought. Chris Christopher R. Jones Carl Sandburg Preservation Project Digital Services and Developmentand Rare Book and Manuscript Library University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1408 W. Gregory Urbana, IL 61801 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]>