Unpacking the Personal Library: Key Takeaways and the Evolution of Collection Development

In the final episode of this four-part series, Jason Camlot and Jeffrey Weingarten, coeditors of Unpacking the Personal Library: The Public and Private Life of Books, share key takeaways on collection practices and the value of personal libraries. First, Jeffrey parses out the library’s complexity as a research tool, and the need to suspend all assumptions on which parts of a personal collection carry the most meaning. Jason also shares thoughts on what personal libraries can offer in terms of acting as a window into the holder’s intellectual development and interests. Last, our guests examine how collection development strategies evolve and differ between public and private collections—what a library chooses to preserve can depend on bandwidth, budgetary constraints, and the collection holder’s level of fame or prestige.

Missed an episode? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Choice Podcast Updates and check out the Authority File Round-Up on our blog, Open Stacks!