An invaluable how-to for librarians and archivists—inside insights from leading collectors!This essential guide to the acquisition process covers every aspect of the search for hard-to-find materials. Out-of-Print and Special Collection Materials: Acquisition and Purchasing Options is a handbook of traditional and not-so-traditional methods for identifying, locating, and acquiring rare items from a variety of sources. The book serves as a comprehensive reference for professionals and students alike, drawing on the experiences of the foremost archivists in their fields.The book offers a unique assortment of specialized essays, informative and instructive. The assembled collectors are your guides on a journey in search of rare items—through specialty catalogs and special circumstances, libraries and bookshops, collections and book stocks—through the print underground of the acquisitions world. Topics range from the basics of acquisitions, to setting (and sticking to) a budget, building a collection, determining the market value of out-of-print materials, and more detailed looks at individual areas of research.Experienced archivists and budding collectors will find indispensable information on a variety of vital topics in this book, including: