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An Exploratory Study of theCollection DevelopmentImplications of the Availabilityof Rare Books on CD-ROMMichelle Visser a & Paul Moeller aa University of Colorado at Boulder , Boulder, CO,USAPublished online: 03 Oct 2008.

To cite this article: Michelle Visser & Paul Moeller (2002) An Exploratory Study of theCollection Development Implications of the Availability of Rare Books on CD-ROM,Collection Management, 27:3-4, 69-78, DOI: 10.1300/J105v27n03_06

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An Exploratory Studyof the Collection Development Implications

of the Availability of Rare Bookson CD-ROM

Michelle VisserPaul Moeller

ABSTRACT. CD-ROMs of rare books are becoming increasingly preva-lent. This article explores the kind of information available on CD-ROMand compares it to the kind of information available from the microformcopy and from the book itself. It compares access and preservation issues foreach format. Finally it presents the results of research in WorldCat showingthe kinds of institutions purchasing CD-ROMs of rare books and whetherthey own the CD-ROM in addition to other formats. The results show that apositive trend toward making rare books accessible to a wider audience maybe developing. As more rare books become available on CD-ROM, thisstudy should be duplicated to determine the full impact of rare books pub-lished on CD-ROMs. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Doc-ument Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <docdelivery@haworthpress.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com> © 2002 by The HaworthPress, Inc. All rights reserved.]

KEYWORDS. Collection development, public libraries, academic li-braries, rare books, CD-ROMs

Michelle Visser is Assistant Professor and Instruction Librarian in Special Collec-tions, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO (E-mail: michelle.visser@ col-orado.edu). Paul Moeller is Senior Instructor and Serials Cataloger & ReligiousStudies Bibliographer, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO (E-mail: paul.moeller@colorado.edu).

Collection Management, Vol. 27(3/4) 2002http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sku=J105

2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.10.1300/J105v27n03_06 69

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INTRODUCTION

CD-ROMs of rare books are nothing new. Select pages of rare andunique books such as the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Book of Kells, or Le-onardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester have been available on CD-ROMsince the mid-1990s. What is new is the growth in the number of com-plete, cover-to-cover, digital editions of rare books that are becomingavailable as both institutional and commercial digitization projects gainmomentum. Companies such as Octavo, based in Palo Alto, California,not only help libraries digitize their own materials but produce commer-cial CD-ROM products of select rare books. In January of 2002, Octavooffered nine CD-ROM products (Octavo 2002). Most of these werelandmark texts in science and literature and included authors such asChaucer, Copernicus, Galilei, Milton, and Shakespeare. Just one yearlater, Octavo alone was offering over forty rare book titles (Octavo2003). The CD-ROM versions of these classics are both relatively inex-pensive and content-rich.

The availability of rare books in a CD-ROM format has added anew dimension to collection development decisions about rare materi-als. Using Robert Hooke’s Micrographia (1665), John Milton’sAreopagitica (1644), and the Kelmscott Press’s edition of Chaucer’sThe Works Now Newly Imprinted (1896) as examples, this article pre-sents the results of a WorldCat survey showing which kinds of institu-tions are choosing to purchase the CD-ROMs and whether or not theyown the CD-ROM in addition to other formats. In discussing the resultsof the survey, the article explores the kind of information available onCD-ROM and compares it to the kind of information available from themicroform copy and from the book itself. It looks at the pros and cons ofeach format in terms of access and preservation so that librarians select-ing rare book materials will be better able to choose the format most ap-propriate for their institutions.

In looking at the literature on CD-ROMs, information on CD-ROMsand rare books is virtually non-existent. Articles on CD-ROMs tend tofall into three categories: those on CD-ROM databases, those onCD-ROMs as software carriers, and those on title CD-ROMs. Of the ar-ticles on title CD-ROMs, products featuring rare books are only men-tioned in passing and are never the primary focus of the article. Thismay be due in part to the very small niche that rare materials currentlyhave in the CD-ROM market. By far the largest number of titleCD-ROMs falls under the subject “General interest, leisure and recre-ation” (Keenan 1998). Games, in particular, have done quite well in this

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format. Other successful media include encyclopedias and referenceworks, children’s educational titles, and some adult learning discs suchas foreign language instruction and typing (Crawford 2001). Perhapsbecause they cover a wide range of topics, rare materials are subsumedunder other categories and have not been discussed as a category oftheir own.

This said, there are some general articles and resources that may be ofhelp to those considering the addition of digital rare books to their col-lections. Information and reviews of rare book CD-ROMs can be foundin Gale’s CD-ROMs in Print, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, andAgainst the Grain. Greg W. Lubelski (1995) provides helpful advice oncirculating CD-ROMs in “Multimedia To Go: Circulating CD-ROMsat Geauga County Public Library.” Those concerned about the future ofCD-ROMs should consult Stella Keenan’s “CD-ROMs–A TransientMedium?” (1998) and “Six Down, Two To Go: Future of CD-ROMs,”(1999) as well as the ALCTS Media Resources Committee conferencereport “Acquiring minds want to know: the acquisitions process andcollection development of videos and CD-ROMs” (Breland 2000).

CHOOSING A TEXT

For the purposes of this exploratory study it was necessary to findrare books that were available in all three formats (original edition, mi-croform, and CD-ROM) in order to accurately map collection develop-ment choices as reflected in WorldCat records. Most rare books havenot yet been digitized; it was important to find those that not only hadbeen digitized but had been available for purchase for at least two yearsto allow for acquisition and processing time. Another problem was thatmany original editions of rare books are no longer commonly found onthe market. There also needed to be at least one or more microform cop-ies of the book. Three books out of the nine available for purchase onCD-ROM from Octavo in January of 2002 met these criteria: RobertHooke’s Micrographia: or Some Physiological Descriptions of MinuteBodies Made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and InquiriesThereupon (1665), John Milton’s Areopagitica (1644), and the Kelms-cott Press’s 1896 edition of Chaucer’s The Works Now Newly Im-printed.

Micrographia was written by Robert Hooke and first published in1665. It was the first major book on microscopy and included observa-tions on animal, vegetable, and mineral substances. It is in Micrographia

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that the first accurate descriptions of fossils, feathers, flies, sponges, andmolds are found. Hooke’s illustrations of a flea and a louse are said tohave changed the hygiene habits of his contemporaries. On publication,Micrographia enjoyed immediate popularity. Samuel Pepys was amongthe first to buy a copy. He noted in his diary on January 21, 1665, “BeforeI went to bed I sat up till 2 o’clock in my chamber reading Mr. Hooke’smicroscopical observations, the most ingenious book that ever I read inmy life” (Pepys 1665, 316). A second edition of Micrographia followedin 1667. Now considered a landmark in the history of biology and the his-tory of the physical sciences, Micrographia was one of the major Englishcontributions to 17th century science.

The original edition of Micrographia has been available for purchase(on and off) since its publication in 1665. In the fall of 2001, three cop-ies of the 1665 edition were on the market and listed for sale in the cata-logs of W.P. Watson Antiquarian Books, Second Story Books, andSimon Finch Rare Books. The microform version has been availablesince 1965 and the CD-ROM version since 1998.

John Milton, the English poet and man of letters, publishedAreopagitica in 1644 as an appeal to parliament to rescind their Li-censing Order of June 16, 1643. Parliament’s order was an attempt tobring publishing under government control through official censorswho would approve works prior to publishing. Milton saw this as a formof state thought control and issued an unlicensed, unregistered appealfor freedom of the press. Milton’s work is a testament to the power ofthe written word and an eloquent statement against press-censorship.This work is currently listed for sale by Simon Finch Rare Books andHeritage Book Shop, Inc. The microfilm version has been availablesince 1970, the CD-ROM version since 1998.

The 1896 Kelmscott Press edition of The Works of Geoffrey ChaucerNow Newly Imprinted is an outstanding example of nineteenth-centurybook production. Designed by the poet, social reformer, and founder ofthe Kelmscott Press, William Morris, the work features the comple-mentary use of type, paper, ink, and decorative motifs. In this publica-tion Morris was attempting to recapture the quality of the earliestprinted works. The end result was a work of art worthy of one of thegreat English poets of the Middle Ages. Limited to 425 copies, theprinted work is currently available through Sims Reed Ltd. and Heri-tage Book Shop, Inc. The microfilm edition came out in 1976 and Oc-tavo issued the CD-ROM edition in 1998.

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METHOD

In March of 2002, a survey of WorldCat records was conducted to deter-mine how many and what kind of libraries were choosing the various for-mats of Micrographia, Areopagitica, and the Kelmscott Chaucer. Onlylibraries owning the original edition, a microform copy of the original edi-tion or the CD-ROM of the original edition were counted. The survey waslimited to libraries in the United States; this included academic, public, andspecial libraries. The results were compiled into an Excel database.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

According to the WorldCat survey, a total of 209 U.S. libraries ownone or more of the three formats of Micrographia; 108 libraries own atleast one of the formats of Areopagitica and 208 libraries own one of theformats of the Kelmscott Chaucer. The percentage of libraries owningeach format or combination of formats was then calculated for each book(see Table 1).

It is important to note that while all three of the formats (original edi-tion, microform, and CD-ROM) might be supposed, in theory, to servethe needs of students, researchers, and other interested parties, the kindsof information available from the three formats differs quite markedly.Each format also has unique access and preservation issues associatedwith it. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of owning the differ-ent formats are listed below.

Owning the Book

Pros:

• Able to provide patrons with the awe of confrontation with theoriginal

• Does not require machinery to read• Provides information unavailable or unreliable in other formats

(e.g., watermarks, texture, color, page thickness, smell, etc.)

Cons:

• Use may lead to damage and loss• May require restricted access and placement in a special collec-

tions department

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• No “added value” in terms of biographical information, commen-tary, searchable text, etc.

• Expensive to purchase; the books in this study range in price from$32,500 to $88,500

Owning the Microform

Pros:

• Excellent preservation medium• Does not require complicated machinery to read• Relatively low cost to purchase (app. $100) (Ouellette 2002)• Provides an alternative to handling the original

Cons:

• Inconvenient for people to use• No “added value” in terms of biographical information, commen-

tary, searchable text, etc.• Loses many of the physical qualities of the book (binding, colla-

tion, watermarks)• Images in black and white only

Owning the CD-ROM

Pros:

• Color images of every page, cover-to-cover• Provides background information as well as supplementary essays

on catchwords, signatures, and collation• Low cost ($20-$50)• Searchable live text• Ability to magnify and look at detail• Binding description, collation, and provenance given• Provides an alternative to handling the original

Cons:

• Loses tactile information and some physical details such as water-marks

• Not a preservation medium–may become obsolete or unreadablerelatively quickly

• Requires expensive technology and some computer training to access

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Collection patterns for Hooke, Milton, and Chaucer were not uni-form but did exhibit similarities. Looking at each title individually, it isclear that for Hooke’s Micrographia, microform still surpasses all otherformats in the number of libraries owning it. The acquisition ofCD-ROMs, however, is not far behind. The combined percentage of li-braries owning the CD-ROM of Micrographia or the CD-ROM plus atleast one other format was 33%. Fully one third of libraries owningMicrographia own the CD-ROM version. Given that at the time of thesurvey the CD-ROM version had only been available for four years(while microform had been available for over 35 years), this shows phe-nomenal growth in the acquisition of this particular rare book title.

Perhaps more interestingly, 10% of libraries owning the original1665 edition of Micrographia, or a microform copy of the same, havefound reasons to justify the additional purchase of the CD-ROM ver-sion. This would seem to indicate that the CD-ROM is perceived ashaving enough merit, either in added value or access, to warrant its ac-quisition. Only 2% (or five libraries) owned all three formats. Thesewere all among the larger academic research institutions in the country.

The situation for Milton was slightly different. Microform still pre-vailed (with 59% of libraries owning this format) but this was followed

Michelle Visser and Paul Moeller 75

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%Microform Only CD Only Book Only Book &

MicroformCD &

MicroformBook & CD All Three

Hooke

Milton

Chaucer

TABLE 1. Percentage of All Libraries Owning the Various Formats of Hooke(1665), Milton (1644), and the Kelmscott Chaucer (1896)

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by the book (with 34%). Only 7% of libraries owning Areopagiticaowned the CD-ROM version. No institutions owned more than one for-mat. The difference in collection patterns for Hooke and Milton mightbe accounted for by the difference in the content and nature of theirworks. Micrographia is sought after for both its textual content as wellas its engravings while Areopagitica, entirely without illustration, isprobably primarily sought after for its textual content. There are otherfactors, of course, which may come into play. These factors include theavailability and cost of the titles over time, the number of copies origi-nally printed, and the popularity and/or relative importance of the texts.

The Kelmscott Chaucer produced a pattern similar to Hooke’sMicrographia but with one significant difference. More libraries (36%)collected the CD-ROM than any other format, with microform a closesecond. The Kelmscott Chaucer does not present original content but ishighly original in its visual presentation, making the CD-ROM the nextbest thing to the book. With original Kelmscott Chaucers costing around$75,000 apiece, the CD-ROM becomes quite attractive. It is again inter-esting to note that 6% of libraries own the CD-ROM in addition to thebook or microform, demonstrating the perceived added-value of theCD-ROM product.

The movement toward ownership of rare books on CD-ROM isstrongest in public libraries. The Milton work, with public librariesevenly split between ownership of the book and the CD-ROM, showsthe lowest percentage of CD-ROM holdings. More than 60% of thepublic libraries have chosen to acquire Chaucer on CD-ROM; whileover 70% of the public libraries owning Hooke have the CD-ROM ver-sion (see Table 2). This is not surprising given the high cost of purchas-ing an original edition of any of these works and the accompanyingpreservation issues. The CD-ROM certainly has more visual appealthan the microforms and, as computer literacy becomes more pervasive,is probably just as easy, if not easier, for most patrons to use. CD-ROMsmay also circulate while microforms generally do not.

CONCLUSION

In looking at the results of this study it is important to keep in mindthe very limited pool of rare books that could be compared. It is perhapsbest to regard the results as the outcome of an exploratory study whichshould be confirmed with further research once the selection of rarebooks on CD-ROM can provide a solid statistical base. The develop-

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ment of online databases of rare materials, such as Early English BooksOnline, will also influence collection patterns in the future.

While in many ways nothing can replace confrontation with the origi-nal, the low cost and added value of the CD-ROM make it the next bestchoice in terms of access (preservation concerns are, for now, still bestmet by microform). Indeed there are ways of interacting with theCD-ROM that are impossible with the book or microform. That theCD-ROM is sometimes owned in addition to other formats indicates itsvalue in making rare books available, understandable, and serviceable topatrons. Public libraries’ acquisition of, and preference for, the CD-ROMis perhaps indicative of a positive trend toward providing the public withincreased access to rare books. Understanding the pros and cons of thedifferent formats should help librarians make informed decisions aboutwhich format (or formats) to purchase for their libraries.

REFERENCES

Breland, June. “Acquiring minds want to know: the acquisitions process and collectiondevelopment of videos and CD-ROMs.” Library Collections, Acquisitions, andTechnical Services 24, no. 2 (Summer 2000): 296-9.

Crawford, Walt. “Where Have All the CD-ROMs Gone?” American Libraries 32, no.5 (May 2001): 66-68.

Heritage Book Shop, Inc. [Online]. http://www.heritagebookshop.com/jsp/books.jsp.

Michelle Visser and Paul Moeller 77

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

MicroformOnly

CD Only Book Only Book &Microform

CD &Microform

Book &CD

All Three

Hooke

Milton

Chaucer

TABLE 2. Percentage of Public Libraries Owning the Various Formats of Hooke(1665), Milton (1664), and the Kelmscott Chaucer (1896)

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Hooke, Robert. 1665. Micrographia: or, Some physiological descriptions of minutebodies made by magnifying glasses. London: Jo. Marten and Ja. Allestry.

______. [1665] 1965. Micrographia: or, Some physiological descriptions of minutebodies made by magnifying glasses. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms.

______. [1665] 1973. Micrographia: or, Some physiological descriptions of minutebodies made by magnifying glasses. New York, N.Y.: Readex Microprint Corpora-tion. Microopaques.

______. [1665] 1998. Micrographia: or, Some physiological descriptions of minutebodies made by magnifying glasses. Palo Alto, Calif.: Octavo. CD-ROM.

Keenan, Stella. “CD-ROMs–A Transient Medium?” Online & CD-ROM Review 22,no. 2 (1998): 103-105.

______. “Six Down, Two To Go: Future of CD-ROMs.” Online & CD-ROM Review23, no. 1 (1999): 37-38.

Lubelski, Greg W. “Multimedia To Go: Circulating CD-ROMs at Geauga County Pub-lic Library.” Library Journal 120 (Feb 1, 1995): 37-39.

Octavo’s Digital Editions [Online]. (17 January 2002) http://www.octavo.com/collections/worldfromhere.html.

Octavo Collections [Online]. (10 January 2003) Available: http://www.octavo.com/collections/index.html.

Ouellette, Dana (Sales Representative, ProQuest Company, UMI Division). 2002.E-mail to author, 3 May.

Pepys, Samuel. [1665] 1928. The Diary of Samuel Pepys, Vols. IV-VI. London: G. Belland Sons.

Second Story Books [Online]. (2001) http://www.secondstorybooks.com/search_results.asp.Simon Finch Rare Books Limited [Online]. (2001) http://www.simonfinch.com/pages/

highlights.php?CatID=3&id=9.Sims Reed Ltd. [Online]. (2003) http://www.polybiblio.com/simsreed/.W.P. Watson Antiquarian Books [Online]. (2001) http://www.worldbookdealers.com/

books/book.asp?id=123304.

Received: 01/16/03Reviewed: 02/03/03

Revised and Accepted: 02/14/03

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