Resumen de Getting Inked? A Survey of Current Institutional Marking Practices in Rare Books and Special Collections

Gemma Steele, Hayley Webster

• A survey was conducted to ascertain whether applying institutional ownership markings such as ink stamps, handwritten accession numbers, or bookplates to rare books and special collections items is widespread, as well as whether the practice, and thinking around the practice, changed over time. This article presents a detailed account of literature on practice and institutional guidelines, and how they have changed over the last seventy-five years. The authors present the background for and findings of their survey, following a literature review, the latter two of which show a lack of consensus around the adoption, value, and purpose of marking items—with considerable hesitation due to a perceived damage to an item caused by marking. The survey also revealed a lack of local policies and procedures on the practice of applying ownership markings. The authors conclude with recommendations for future implementation and additional surveys.