Kalr Miller wrote:

>One of my concerns is where to leave my collection.  ...

I've rather given up on the idea of mine staying as a collection, which
makes me a bit sad.  It have it disseminated out is not all that bad
either.  I'm hoping the database will help with that when the time comes.
I had a small collection of LPs (in very good condition) that I was able
to sell online.  It took about 40-50 hours of my time to set up, and a
couple of years to sell them all, I recovered a little of my investment,
and I know that my LPs went to collectors all over the world and are
being enjoyed.

I set up the store using PayPal's free shopping cart.  The most time
consuming part was taking the pictures.  You can see it here:

   http://www.classical.net/lps

>Several of my friends are planning on having their stuff sold or leaving
>it to friends...with the last one standing having it all!

Unfortunately, no one gets out of here alive to claim that ultimate
collection.:-)

>...  I am amazed at how little respect a head librarian can have for
>preservation, research and scholarship.

It is surprising.  I've always seen a librarian as a curator of
information in its various forms, just like a museum curator.  I
guess I was wrong.

>Rare (especially when coupled with the notion of valuable) is such a
>relative concept, especially amongst collectors.  ...

I would consider just about anything non-commercial in Karl's
collection (still browsing) as being rare, though as Karl points out not
necessarily valuable.  My collection, on the other hand, being completely
commercial might arguably have no rare items.  About the only things in
my collection that might qualify are there because I've been at this
with some determination for 22 years now and have managed to stumble
across a few CDs not widely distributed, or only available for a short
time.  As proud as I am of my collection, it's obvious to me that Karl's
collection probably has more value, at least in terms of preservation
and probably in terms of research as well.

I'm familiar with over 1900 composer names, and there are many in Karl's
list that are completely new to me.  I told Karl privately that I was
astonished to see how complimentary our collections are.  But it goes
to show you how diverse our interests are as a group.  Not just diversity
in the music we listen to, but also in the interpretations that move us,
and even in how we choose to indulge our urge to surround ourselves with
these masterworks.

Dave
http://www.classical.net/