JWN readers might recall that a month ago I posted this notice here, about the professional library of my dear, recently departed friend Misty Gerner:
- The Deborah J. Gerner Collection
Before her passing in June the much-loved scholar of Middle Eastern affairs, Dr. Deborah J. Gerner expressed her hope that the professional library she had assembled over many years might find a home where it could be of use to new generations of enquiring minds. The collection comprises over 1,900 books, some 90 materials in other media, and near-complete series of periodicals like IJMES, JPS, MEJ, etc., from around 1983 through 2005 or 2006. Nearly all the materials are in English, are in good condition, and were published between 1983 and 2006 (though a few are older.)
The collection would make an excellent “starter library” for any college or research institution seeking strongly to enhance its offerings in M.E. studies. If we could find help in covering shipping costs, then shipping it to a suitable institution in the developing world would be attractive. Dr. Gerner did, however, leave a bequest to support the incorporation of this collection into the library of the recipient institution, whether in North America or overseas. Please contact Helena Cobban (hcobban’at’gmail.com) for further information about the collection or with any suggestions you have regarding a suitable recipient institution (your own or another), or possible sources of help for transoceanic shipping.
Since then I’ve received some intriguing expressions of enquiry regarding the library. But along the way I realised that many non-US university-type people were probably still on vacation, and may not have seen it. So I thought I should re-post it. And this time, I’ll put a bit of a deadline onto it so we can get this process moved along in a way that is both expeditious and fair…
So if you know of an institution that might be interested in the DJG Library, please could you email me at the address above with at least an initial expression of interest before October 31.
Thanks!