“I don’t consider it a waste of shelf space. My private library is over 10,000 volumes and at the moment we are in the process of turning into a (private) town library.”
I don’t have the resources to commit to such an endeavour and most of my books do not travel with me.
“The best way to defeat the opposing arguments is to know their arguments which is why I still have most of my books on Mormonism.”
Granted, to a point. But all libraries reflect the philosophies of their owner.
“I will be glad to list some for you as I unpack them.”
Thank you for indulging my request. I am curious as to your position because it’s not an argument that I’ve encountered previous. I suspect I know the authors, but I am unwilling to assume.
I don’t have the resources to commit to such an endeavour and most of my books do not travel with me.
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We moved a couple of years ago, and last year bought the old school in town as an office building. So, this year, we were able to move our books from my mother’s ranch house (where they have lived for most of the past 10 years) to our new building in our new state.
We have been blessed with such a collection, and many of them came from when I owned my Computer consultation/website programming business. Used bookstore owners in the 1990’s needed/wanted databases and or websites but never have any money. So I would do a trade out - a website and/or database in exchange for book credit. I would scout out antiquarian bookstores, show them my work and make an offer, which they often took. In exchange for the work, I could easily get $1500 in book credit and that is a large factor in the expansion of our library.
I love books, and I have a large selection, including what I expect to be one of the largest history and theology libraries in the state when we open. Our decision to open it to the public was a desire to share our love and passion for books with others.
But all libraries reflect the philosophies of their owner.
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I suppose that is true if you assume that all books in the library were purchased directly by the owner.
However, for many years we have become a repository of books that people no longer wanted or needed or for books that had special value to someone but didn’t have anyone to give them to.
Example, my college professor. When she passed, she knew her children would not want the books, and she valued my work as a Bible scholar and historian. Leaving me her library was a trust and a compliment. An older couple we know, gave us their personal library when they moved because their new assisted living apartment didn’t have the room and they didn’t want the books to go to the thrift shop. I have about 100 textbooks from the 1880s that I found in the storage house of my grandparents farm.
Family members have donated old books because of our reputation for caring for them and my ability to do extensive repairs on antiquarian books. A former B list actress who lived in Palm Springs, gave us some of her books because she wanted them to go to a ‘good home’. A Mormon friend of mine who moved recently didn’t have room to take her books and gave them to me instead, knowing that I am an ‘antiMormon’.
Couple that with our flat refusal to ‘deaquistion’ ANY book at all (even mass market paperbacks), and you will find that your idea that a library reelects the philosophy of the owner does not stand. I have many books that I do not agree with but nevertheless are in our library and I have no intention of getting rid of.