Willis Library offers appraisals at Roadshow

It's time to grab your old books and stop by the UNT Rare Book Roadshow.

The event, sponsored by the Friends of the UNT Libraries, offers the public access to UNT library staff who will appraise books and teach would-be collectors the basics of book preservation.

The event starts at 9:45 a.m. Nov. 8 on the fourth floor of Willis Library in the Rare Book Room. Mary Durio, head librarian for the Rare Book Collection, will lead the two-hour event.

The Rare Book Roadshow is a fund-raiser for the Rare Book Room, which holds a collection of 15,000 rare books, original artworks, maps and artifacts. Durio and her staff are trained in the preservation and repair of rare books.

"The call we receive the most is from people asking if their books are worth anything," Durio says. "Although we can't provide official appraisals, we can give participants a good idea about the value of their books."

According to Durio, the value of a book isn't just in its age, but in the publishing company, the illustrators and the availability. Durio hopes the event will help beginning collectors gain a more in-depth knowledge about publishing.

"Just because a book is old doesn't mean it's worth something," she adds. "The first editions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone are worth as much as $8,000. It's a recent book, but there are so few copies of that first printing."

Along with appraisals, the fund-raiser will provide tips for protecting against acidification and simple guidelines for repairing books.

Tickets are $10 for non-members of Friends of the UNT Libraries and $5 for members. Participants can bring one book each for evaluation. To reserve a place, call (940) 565-2769 or e-mail Durio at mdurio@library.unt.edu.

BY RUFUS COLEMAN rcoleman@unt.edu

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