And I thought things were looking weird last week ... gosh. As you can, please support your local independent, used, and antiquarian booksellers in any way that they need it right now (check their websites and social media for details). Support your local public and academic libraries by strongly encouraging them (if they haven't already) to close for now and carry on their missions remotely. Trust me, there is plenty we librarians can be doing, even without being in close proximity to the books in our collections.
Speaking of which, I should have thought of this sooner, too, but if it's even the tiniest bit of help to anyone (student, teacher, professor, librarian, bookseller), the list of my library is online, and if I have a book that you need to consult for reference, need a citation from, &c., just say the word and I'll be happy to get you whatever information would be useful.
- Several exhibitors at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (all known to many of us) have tested positive for COVID-19, according to messages sent via the ABAA and ILAB this week. Please be aware of this in case it is relevant to your personal situation, and I know all readers of this blog join me in wishing our friends a speedy recovery.
- The BSA is offering the first in a series of free webinars this week, and are calling for volunteers to help with future installments and/or to assist with other timely programming.
- From my dear friends at LibraryThing, who've been working at home for years, "Work From Home Like LibraryThing Does."
- Many university presses are offering sales on books they were planning to exhibit at conferences this spring and summer; I'm sure there are others, but here are the relevant pages for JHUP and UVA Press.
- Over on the N-YHS blog, "Martha Lamb: New-York Historical Society Pioneer."
- Rebecca Rego Barry writes for CrimeReads: "Carolyn Wells, in the Library, with a Revolver." Rebecca also has a post on the FB&C blog about "Saving the Baskerville Bible."
- From Kyle Clark for the Beyond the Reading Room blog, "Unveiling the Mystery inside a Greek Manuscript Binding."
- The Culture Minister for Wales has placed a temporary export bar on a 15th-century Lewis of Caerleon manuscript to allow a UK buyer to raise the £300,000 required to keep it in the UK.
- Megan Cook and others have been crowd-compiling a spreadsheet of Digital Repositories for Book History Teaching.
- At Medieval Manuscripts Provenance, "A Dispersed Album of Illuminated Cuttings."
- A number of NYC-based philanthropic organizations have formed the "NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund to support New York City-based social services and arts and cultural organizations that have been affected by the current coronavirus public health crisis."
- More on the Dead Sea Scrolls fragments fakery from the Guardian.
- From Elizabeth DeBold and Heather Wolfe at The Collation, "A Wyncoll's Tale."
- Over on the Princeton Graphic Arts Collection blog, "Need a Project, no. 2? Chromolithography." They've also pulled together a collection of links of "Online Content for Printing History and Art History."
- More useful online resources from the Folger, too.
Upcoming Auctions
- Rare Books, Manuscripts & Relics, Forbes Collection Part I, Kerouac Estate Part II at University Archives on 25 March.
- The Birmingham Assay Office Library at Forum Auctions on 26 March.
- Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper at Forum Auctions on 27 March.
- Rare Books, Manuscripts & Ephemera at Addison & Sarova on 28 March.
Courage, friends. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.
