River History Book Collection

Museums

Wow! That is an amazing collection of books! Although I don't know how they'd use them, or how it would work, you could donate them to a museum like the Howard Steamboat Museum, or the Ohio River Museum in Marietta, as well as the one in Dubuque. Since you're not selling, this might be a good place, as they might have a good use. Though, that's just my opinion, and there are probably many problems with that... but it's what came to my mind.
Happy Travels,
ML

My thought would be that The Inland Rivers Library in Cincinnati would be a logical non-profit to donate river books to. Scholars come from around the world to do research there, and there are the close bonds that the Library and S&D have.

With a large collection as mentioned a list should be prepared and institutions such as Mercantile Library, the Cincinnati Public Library-Inland Rivers section and say, the Dubuque Museum Library be contacted. The collection or parts of the collection may be of interest to more than one repository.

Just a stray off the wall thought with no malice toward any other institution not mentioned.

Thank you for thinking of the Howard Steamboat Museum, but we are currently "bursting at the seams" with river books, owing to the donations in the past two years of collections by the heirs of Capt. Alan Bates, Bert Fenn and several others. Our Collections/Exhibits Committee recently had to make the difficult decision of declining a collection of some 5,000+ books. Although some of them were river books, they are predominantly titles of which we had multiple copies - and many of the titles were of deep water maritime subjects not related to river topics or to the mission of the HSM. We simply do not have the shelving and climate-controlled storage space, so must now carefully consider what we can accept -- with relevance to steamboating and/or to the Howard family and their shipyard. I recently attended a seminar for museum curators at the Indiana Historical Society at which such problems were addressed. It's hard to say "no", but it often has to be done or your institution turns into a warehouse.

Rather than donate to institutions where they already have numerous copies of the same title and the books would sit unused, perhaps some of the newer river museums could be considered, such as the River Discovery Center at Paducah, Point Pleasant River Museum, Ohio Valley River Museum at Clarington (OH), Grand Tower (IL) River Museum, Mississippi River Interpretive Center at Vicksburg, RiverPark Museum at Tunica (MS), etc.

Many donations of books and trinkets come to the HSM from generous donors who give them to us with the proviso (as per our DEED OF GIFT policy) that it is entirely our decision to either add them to the museum collection, if needed, or to sell them in our gift shop. We have a "book nook" of long out-of-print steamboat and river books for nominal prices which not only benefit the museum's operating fund, but bring great joy to steamboat buffs and buffettes who find a long sought after title! We will be featuring a number of these books, as well as other "Riverboat Rummage" donated for re-sale, during the upcoming Centennial Celebration for the Str. BELLE of LOUISVILLE.

Keith Norrington
Director-Curator
Howard Steamboat Museum

Heinz History Center

Mr B

One institution not yet mentioned is the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. The center is currently featuring a terrific exhibit on the steamboat Arabia – Pittsburgh’s Lost Steamboat: Treasures of the Arabia. The exhibit is open till 4 Jan 2015.

The facilities, both research and exhibit, at the Heinz center are exceptional. I believe it has a considerable endowment. Your collection, if accepted, would be safe and available for historical research.

The center is also the home of journals and papers of local “Pittsburgh region” steamboat captains and pilots, such as Capt Thomas Stevenson Calhoon. Capt Calhoon owned and operated Civil War transports and with Capt Jackman Taylor Stockdale organized the second Pittsburgh and Cincinnati Packet Line in 1878.

Heinz Contacts:

Leslie A Przybylek [email protected]

Brian Butko [email protected]

Good luck.
Fran Nash

PS If you are not a fan of the black and gold I will understand.

I have found a home for my river book collection. What I need now is help finding an appraiser for the collection. Any ideas?

Dan

*Finding a certified book appraiser*
Hi, Dan and Steamboating colleagues,
Saw your posting and question in "finding an appraiser for the collection." Appraisal of any book, antique, relic not always so easy depending on the provenance, subject, lisitings on Internet sites from experts. I've done some identification on maritime relics, materials here for several antique companies but would 'never' dare myself attempt to apply a value. As they say, "value and beauty often in the eye of the beholder." No doubt Keith has many people contacting him at the Howard Museum on such. Even museums and libraries here I know have a legal 'disclosure' stating "Our staff and curators cannot provide monetary apraisals, monetary valuations of any kind, or supply written opinions...not liable for loss or damage to the object(s) while on the premises nor do we have insurance for such."

I can think of a few off the top of my head. One is our friend Jack Custer down in Louisville. Another would be Jeff Spear, S&D president, now associated with 'Garth's Antiques & Appraisers' in Deleware, Ohio at E=Mail: [email protected]. One leading source I have/use here in Cincinnati for the Literary Club where I am a member & librarian is OHIO BOOK STORE, 726 Main St. here in Cincinnati with Mr. James T. Fallon, President and his two sons working in the restoration/rebinding part of the business. Fallon's do a lot of this in Cincinnati for various organizations, law firms, collectors. Some of their eariest volumes ['The Navigator' etc.] command prices in the thousands $$. In the past the've put me on to many fine materials, letters, books, ephemera from family auctions etc. Their collection of fine old river books and other autogarphs, letters etc. excellent. Their local E=Mail: [email protected]. Fallons had and still offer fine river volumes along with nearly all of Capt. Fred Way's books. Some years back they had some very tasty offerings from Commodore Fred Laidley and the L&C LINE in addition to the early GREENE LINE STEAMERS I was able to purchase. Worth a message to them. I'm fighting, digging to find the present contact for Jack Custer. Check also to see what, if any, charge you may pay for said appraisals. Many times people are disappointed finding out their treasured item isn't worth near what they thought.

Gotta' be careful with some book stores here and there. I've called/visited a few regarding some old river volume they have had on their shelves for years all dusty. The instant you show interest the first quote off the top of their heads is an automatic "$75." One old book hand said, "Books you find far from the rivers on steamboats or ships on the coasts usually cheaper." It's what the market will bear. I'll dig around here looking for others and send to you on the E=Mail I have here in my Address Book. I would never myself claim or stoop to being an expert in any field. Well, again, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

Be aware that any professional appraiser will charge for his/her work. With the quantity of books you have this may be more than any tax savings from the donation. Also, as you have probably already discovered, the recipient cannot provide a value as the IRS considers them an "interested party." The donor has to establish value, and the IRS also has rules on what/whom they consider a recognized evaluator.
BTW, you are to be congratulated and respected for passing these on in a planned manner, and for doing so generously.

I found a worthy home for my book collection. I am donating them to the Kent Library at South East Missouri State university in Cape Girardeau. They will be placed in their rare book library and be made available for research. This collection will enhance the Golden Eagle collection.

Here is info from the Library.

Kent Library Presents: "Opening Celebration, The Dan Back River History Book Collection"
Please join us from noon - 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at Sadie's Place, Kent Library for a lecture by river historian, Mr. Dan Back, of Patriot, Indiana about his recently donated collection of rare books. Mr. Back's donation includes over 700 volumes of books and 135 periodicals about the history of rivers and steamboats in the United States. These important materials will enhance Kent Library's collection of books about the beginning of transportation by steamboats on inland rivers, construction details of steamboats and the lives of many steamboat captains and passengers. Refreshments will also be served.

Date:
Wednesday, September 16, 2015

good move

Congratulations Dan on finding a place and donating your materials. Hopefully they will be readily available without charge for anyone wishing to peruse them or do research. Do you know if they will be stored in a visible public area or confined to a workers' only section?

River books

It will be a combination of both. The books will be in their rare book library which is open to anyone. However they can only be used within the library and not checked out. Initially they will be in their archives while they work to catalogue them.

"Refreshments will be served" -- Well, that should guarantee a pretty good attendance!
Food always brings the folks out!!
Wish we could be there & congrats on finding them a great home where they will be used carefully.
Steamcerely
Linda & David

The Mercantile Library at the University of St Louis is also worthy of consideration I would suggest. If someone has a large collection it might be worth consideration to split the collection between more than one institution. Should, say the Mercantile Library, have a copy of a certain publication(s) another qualified institution could be considered for the home of any duplicates thus more sites would be available for research purposes.

With theft rampant even in the Library of Congress one should not feel put upon to research under controlled conditions.

Book Collection Placement

Mr B

Congrats.

Fran Nash

*Collection placement/Library & Museum Security*
Morning, Steamboat colleagues:
Good words and points above stemming from Judy's 'River History Book Collection.' Jim and Francis make excellent points. Depositing any collection of anything in libraries, archives and museums no guarantee it will be used, see the light of day--maybe. Experience taught me--and others--that no institution guarantees any donor how or where their materials will be used or even displayed. Most do a fine job, no question about that. In some cases several donations I made involved signing off on a very legal document of donation so no donor--or heirs--can lay any claim down the road. I've seen items donated to museums end up in back rooms, storage cases covered with drop cloths in dark rooms--even annex buildings off site. Some collections and items also subject to be sold, exchanged with other institutions according to their needs and display capacity at will.

As Jim mentions, "theft" is rampant from libraries to museums. The sage Cincinnati Public Library here also faced this some years ago when some guy asked to examine a collection of fine old photos. With no 'supervision' at the moment, he casually 'cut' the valuable print out of the folio using a piece of dental floss. He was in time tracked down, brought to justice.

The Public Library of Cincinnati archives here contain literally dozens of book copies on river history donated by well-meaning individuals. These books, materials pile up in the stacks for use. Yet, extra copies can't be sold so as not to break the agreement or sentiments of the donors. I know of Capt. Fred Way's books on shelves there running for many feet in storage that can never be deaccessed or sold in any library book sale. I'm also faced with the same situation with no direct heirs other than nephews, niece living in another state with no interest.

Some years ago I requested to view the plans, papers, calculations of the late William Francis Gibbs, designer of the great liner UNITED STATES now in the archives at the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, Va. I had to surrender my jacket, camera, brief case etc. before entering a research room with the papers, ship design plans carefully laid out before me. While working, taking notes, an eagle-eyed librarian watched me through a nearby glass window. Again, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati

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