Collection Development
In the early Nineteen-fifties the poet, novelist and editor Raymond Queneau circulated a pamphlet with an overview of the best books and authors. He asked 200 authors, 99 per cent French, to select their 100 top choices. Then he assembled the results and published a book called Pour Une Bibliothèque Idéale (Gallimard, 1956). Fortunately, this […]
Organizing the Library
A good library arrangement is not achieved at once, but is a slow growth through difficulties met and conquered. Unlike the strict arrangement the Dewey Decimal System imposes on an academic or professional library, a private library requires an attractive appearance as well as an order that can be intuited. Imposing a coherent, cohesive and […]
Appraisals
“Individuals with old books or manuscripts in their possession often wonder how to ascertain the value of such material. Unfortunately, there is no single reference work or “price guide” which can be relied upon to provide the current values of antiquarian books, nor is there any simple way to explain in a few words how […]
Conservation
The Private Library provides services and solutions to conserving your collection from the ravages of most environments. From climate control to conditioning fine bindings, our network of craftsmen and technicians can turn back the pages of time or project them into the digital future. Condition reports appraise your needs so cost effective solutions can be […]
Cataloging Software
The cost of the powerhouse cataloging systems of public libraries available from OCLC and Innovative Interfaces (in the range of $150,000.00 to $200,000.00) are disproportionate to the size of most library libraries and do not satisfy our needs. The clients’ purpose in cataloging dictates our choice of database, from the most rudimentary DOS driven bare […]
![Albert Hadley\'s Astor Library (Feliciano for NY Times)](https://www.the-private-library.com/wp-content/gallery/eyecandy/hadley-astor_-feliciano_0.jpg "\\"Perhaps (Albert Hadley\'s) most celebrated work was the library at the Park Avenue home of Brooke Astor. He transformed a high-ceilinged faux-French drawing room into a strikingly elegant space with red-lacquered shelves and brass trim befitting a client who had given considerable philanthropic support to libraries, especially the New York Public Library.\\" Bruce Weber")
