Provenance Evidence in Bibliographic Records

Abstract

Noting and tracing former of rare materials has been a common cataloging practice for many years. This paper explores value of examining special collections materials that may not be old and rare for evidence of provenance in order to provide notes and added entries pointing to former owners in bibliographic records. This case study of a small group of mid-twentieth century books, formerly owned by a Swiss family, demonstrates significance of cataloging process in revealing information about original Building on bibliographic work of catalogers working with a collection of books on mountaineering topics, author uses case study to show how cataloging books as objects with a history can enable users to find new topics of research in special collections materials. ********** For special collections librarians and users of their collections, provenance is an important aspect of materials. In exhibitions they mount and in classes they teach, many special collections librarians often highlight evidence of previous of materials in their collections. In addition to research interests in content of rare books, scholars working in special collections also may focus on materials as objects and evidences of provenance they reveal. While Oxford English Dictionary's first general definition of provenance is the fact of coming from some particular source or quarter; origin; derivation, second is more specific to materials in library or museum collections: history or pedigree of a work of art, manuscript, rare book, etc.; concr., a record of ultimate derivation and passage of an item through its various owners. (1) Carter likewise defines provenance as the pedigree of a book's previous ownership and notes that the evidences of [a book's] earlier history are always of interest (documentary or sentimental) and sometimes of importance. (2) The provenance of a particular work of art or printed work can be verified in several ways: authenticating documentation may accompany object, catalogs or lists may include entries confirming names of former owners, or work itself may contain evidence of former ownership. Provenance has significance for special collections and users of special collections for a number of reasons: (1) former may make book or object more valuable or important to users and to holding institution; (2) knowledge of content of a former owner's collection may bring insight to intellectual interests and pursuits of a particular person; and (3) historians of book and bibliographers often have a keen interest in personal libraries of persons well known in their fields--for example, authors, politicians, or scientists, particularly those who lived in an earlier age. In his comprehensive reference work, Provenance Research in Book History, Pearson categorized and discussed various types of provenance evidence and presented bibliographical resources and indexes that support scholarly research on private libraries from fifteenth to early nineteenth century. (3) To keep a record of characteristics denoting value and significance and to facilitate study of former ownership, catalogers of rare materials routinely note provenance evidence in books they catalog and many provide added entries for previous owners of materials. The physical evidence of former includes autographs or annotations, stamped names, bookplates, book labels, and presentation inscriptions, among others. The uniqueness of provenance evidence makes it paramount for catalogers to note names of former owners to establish relationship of other materials belonging to same person or family. A recent posting to rare books list Exlibris-L asked for information concerning any books libraries currently hold with provenance indicating that books belonged to Sidney family of Penshurst Place, Kent, beginning in sixteenth century. …