Canadian Decision to Close 7 Libraries Leads to Major Controversy
- by Michael Stillman
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Gail Shea issued a strong rebuttal to the claims.
Then, a few weeks ago, a sharper statement was released by Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, in response to the controversy. Shea wrote, “Serious misinformation was spread recently about the consolidation of Department of Fisheries and Oceans libraries. Let me correct the record.
“DFO owns one of the world's most comprehensive collections of information on fisheries, aquatic sciences and nautical sciences. Our Government values these collections and will continue to strongly support it by continuing to add new material on an ongoing basis.
“The decision to consolidate our network of libraries was based on value for taxpayers. The primary users of DFO libraries, over 86%, are employees of the Department. An average of only five to 12 people who work outside of DFO visited our eleven libraries each year. It is not fair to taxpayers to make them pay for libraries that so few people actually used.
"Duplicate materials, including books, from the libraries being consolidated were offered to other libraries and third parties if they wanted them. They were also offered to the DFO staff on site at the library, then offered to the general public, and finally were recycled in a 'green' fashion if there were no takers. It is absolutely false to insinuate that any books were burnt.
"Our Government is proud to stand up for taxpayers while retaining our important scientific knowledge.”
We don't know who is right. Perhaps no one does. The scholarly community wants, at a minimum, greater transparency and participation in what is happening. This can be annoying, even burdensome to officials. The kind of accounting scholars want can be taxing on those tasked with carrying out the consolidation. However, it is their job to monitor the process closely. If they don't protect what may be unique documentation in their field, who will? Radical changes in the environment over the past couple of centuries may make older studies impossible to duplicate. Original observations made at the time for one study may be the only data available today for a study targeting a completely different issue. Perhaps this material may seem dated or of no real use. Still, one lesson I have learned is that the sure way to guarantee that you will need something you believe will never be used again is to throw it away.
Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: [CANALETTO] - VISENTINI, Antonio (1688-1782) da Giovanni Antonio CANAL (1697-1768, detto 'Il Canaletto') - Urbis Venetiarum prospectus celebriores. Venezia: Giovanni Battista Pasquale, 1742-51. €7.000-€10.000
Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: LA FONTAINE, Jean de (1621-1695) - Fables Choisies. Parigi: Claude Barbin, 1668. €7.000-€10.000
Il Ponte, Feb. 25-26: MERCATOR, Rumold (1545-1599) - [I continenti] - Europa; Africa; America Sive India Nova; Asia. Amsterdam: S.d. [ca. 1633]. €2.000-€3.000
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Sotheby’s: The Shem Tov Bible, 1312 | A Masterpiece from the Golden Age of Spain. Sold: 6,960,000 USD
Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
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Sotheby's Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 746. Speed's Dual Atlas of Britain & the World with 96 Maps (1676). Est. $70,000 - $85,000
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 9. Visscher's Superb Double-Hemisphere World Map with Representations of the Elements (1658). Est. $4,750 - $6,000
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 58. One of the Most Important 16th Century Maps of the New World (1554). Est. $5,000 - $6,000
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 745. A Complete Example of Ortelius' Atlas of Ancient Geography (1624). Est. $12,000 - $15,000
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 73. First English Map to Show California as an Island (1625). Est. $16,000 - $19,000
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 156. Bachmann's Dramatic View of the Mid-Atlantic Region (1861). Est. $1,800 - $2,200
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 741. Early Announcement of Continental Congress' Declaration of Independence (1776). Est. $9,000 - $11,000
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 695. The First Printed Map Devoted to the Pacific (1589). Est. $8,000 - $9,500
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 733. Superb Image of the Presentation of Jesus in Hand Color (1502). Est. $700 - $850
Old World Auctions (Feb 12): Lot 52. Produced by the Psychological Warfare Branch to Encourage Surrender (1945). Est. $200 - $230