How important is it as a historian to assemble an arsenal of books?

[frundelson2]

Hey all,

 

I am getting ready for my comps, and I have a question about how present and past History students have approached their reading lists, particularly whether they found it helpful to actually own copies of each book they were reading / using to prep for their exams. In the past, I have tried to not purchase books for my courses and have instead checked them out from the library, gotten them via ILL, or found free online versions. After I gutted each book I always wrote out a precise summary, outlined the main ideas, and jotted down any stand out points. I did this as a reference specifically for prepping for comps. 

 

More generally, I am bit against owning a ton of books, but I also starting to realize having these books in my own personal library could be helpful. How have you approached this? Would love to hear your thoughts.

[CageFree]

I am only now starting to think about comps, but I don't think you have to own all of your comps books if you are conscientious about writing summaries for yourself and you organize them well. I only really buy books for class and for my own reading if they are related to my areas of interest, though I occasionally find books for class cheap enough to buy used. If I HAVE to buy a book that I won't use again, I sell it when I am done. Use ILL extensively... especially if you have a good library system.

Also, keep in mind that some books on your comps list, you only will read a few pages or chapters.. and likely, for some, you will only read a couple of book reviews and then a selected chapter or two.

[dr. t]

Also if you're lucky, your library has overhead book scanners. Best. Invention. Ever.

[Kirialax]

Also if you're lucky, your library has overhead book scanners. Best. Invention. Ever.

 

I second this. I've made quite a few copies of books for personal use, especially hard to find or expensive tomes I had to ILL.

 

As for buying books, I tend to acquire quite a few. My personal academic library consists of around 250 volumes in my main field (Byzantine Studies) and another 200 or so in ancillary areas (ancient and medieval history). I tend to like books, which doesn't help, but my official justification is that too often in my field books get a single print run and then you can never find them again, or they only appear for obscene prices. Just the other day I saw an Amazon listing for over $3000 for a little 100pp volume that I picked up for something like $12 a few years ago before it went out of print. Thus if it's something I think I'll need and I have the money, I buy it. My living expenses during my MA have been much lower than projected, and thus my library has expanded as a result. I would place particularly high priority on primary texts. I don't know what field you study so this may not be relevant if you get your main material from an archive, but my Greek texts tend to be published in edited editions, and when lucky, with an English translation. Since competition at the library can be fierce for the best editions, I tend to invest if the money is available and it's a very important text. Sometimes these texts can be several hundred dollars, though, and that's when it's time to make use of the overhead book scanner...

[TMP]

One poster here suggested a few years ago that she tended to buy books for her major field and research project. I've taken that approach and it's worked well.  I've also found it helpful to scan through my adviser's shelves to see what's really worth buying. For example, there was a book I didn't consider worth buying because it was published 30 years ago or so but then my adviser mentioned that she uses it for reference for teaching and it's worth owning it.  I also now consider what books might be useful to have for when I teach.

 

Also, consider the fact that you DO get a tax write-off for your books!

[frundelson2]

Thanks all for the input so far! ILL has been a big money saver for me. Also, I have scanned some books using those scanners, telkanuru, but sometimes I get a bit nervous about copyright infringement. But maybe I am just overly cautious?

 

TMP - I am unfamiliar with writing off book purchases on my taxes. Can you fill me in or point me in a direction to find out more?

[dr. t]

Thanks all for the input so far! ILL has been a big money saver for me. Also, I have scanned some books using those scanners, telkanuru, but sometimes I get a bit nervous about copyright infringement. But maybe I am just overly cautious?

 

TMP - I am unfamiliar with writing off book purchases on my taxes. Can you fill me in or point me in a direction to find out more?

 

I mean unless you're posting them online no one is going to tackle you on your way out of the library. That said, I mainly use it for rare, fragile, and/or reference books which are hard to obtain. Or anything from Brepols because they charge the most absurd prices I've ever encountered.

 

My general rule for purchases is if a full text is required for two classes that I've taken, it gets bought. Or if I really like it. Or if I've had one beer more than I should and am on Amazon. 

[TMP]

It is illegal to scan the books in their entirety.  I understand that the laws say that you cannot copy more than 25% of the entire book (generally about 2 chapters).  I used to work with educators and we've always run into issues when the instructors would want to assign almost the entire book and we'd be considerate of the costs involved for the students.  

 

I think you'll have to look under codes relating to higher education.

[Sigaba]

IMO, whether analog or digital, always buy the book if it is related to your fields and/or it is important to the profession at large. As a senior historian told me, it isn't about reading the books but knowing where to find the information. MOO, it is far easier to find that information at three a.m. if that book is under your bed or on your HDD than if it is in the stacks or the cloud.

 

If you need to economize, don't purchase a book if there are multiple copies in multiple libraries in your area.

 

If you decide to violate Title 17, make sure you copy all of the front matter so that your citation will be accurate. 

[Riotbeard]

I bought most of my class books, as I am a book horder, but I say, if you take good notes, you really don't need to buy books if you don't want to. 

 

I will say at some point in the future, don't you hope that at least our small reading audience of grad students and academics bother to buy our books...  Just a thought. 

[Chiqui74]

I love books in general so my acquisition of a history library has been a product of my own design as well as from the books I have had to read for classes, which I always buy.  Some times I sell the books from classes I took but have no further interst at all in the subject matter, but I keep them otherwise.  How important is it? I don't know, to be honest, but I don't know a single historian who does not have a pretty big book arsenal.

Edited September 2, 2013 by Chiqui74

[TMP]

IMO, whether analog or digital, always buy the book if it is related to your fields and/or it is important to the profession at large. As a senior historian told me, it isn't about reading the books but knowing where to find the information. MOO, it is far easier to find that information at three a.m. if that book is under your bed or on your HDD than if it is in the stacks or the cloud.

Sigaba nailed it.  I cannot tell you, how the life of me, how helpful it is to have books in your field right in your work area.  Fortunately, for me, as the only one in my subfield in my department, I get to keep all the library copies of whatever's on my exam list at my disposal until I'm ready to return them.  It's a real life saver when you're writing papers for your classes in which you engage your own field in addition to the topic of the class itself.  I am, however, slowly buying them as I go along.

 

Besides, graduate students are amazingly possessive of their library copies and get annoyed when their books get recalled.

[dr. t]

Besides, graduate students are amazingly possessive of their library copies and get annoyed when their books get recalled.

 

 

I will neither confirm nor deny that I regularly wait until the day a recall is due to turn it into one of the satellite libraries which ensures maximum processing time. BorrowDirect is faster than recalling anyway!

 

My school has several large annual faculty/grad student book sales, which are useful places to search.