Public library trimming holdings

So far, the library's collections committee has discussed parting with three items, according to minutes from meetings: a Crehore piano, a series of large-scale Audubon prints, and a collection of Tichnor glass printing plates that were once used to make postcards. The library has had the Aububon prints since the mid-1800s, while the piano and glass plates were acquired in the last several years.

Library officials stressed that these discussions are not related to the city's budget crunch, which will force the library to cut $4 million from its $48 million budget for the next fiscal year. Instead, a top library curator said the collection is reviewed on a daily basis, and the committee in charge of the buying and selling meets every two months.

Selling off work "is a small part of what we do," said Brian Clancy, head of the committee that oversees the collection. "Our decision-making is not influenced by these economic times."

Like other institutions, however, the Boston Public Library has been squeezed by the slumping economy. Two trustees are donating their own money to keep the library open on Sundays. Earlier, officials had planned to close it on five upcoming Sundays in a cost-saving move.

The Crehore piano, soon to be sold, now sits in a curator's office. Though the piano no longer works, it was made by Milton resident Benjamin Crehore, who is credited with manufacturing the first piano in the United States, in the 1800s. Susan Glover, acting keeper of special collections, estimates it could fetch roughly $10,000 at auction, money she says the library would use to restore a Steinway piano.

"We don't collect musical instruments," she said about selling the piano. "It is way out of the scope for us."

When public institutions sell art or historical artifacts, they often do so through an art dealer or auction house. The Crehore piano will be sold at a public auction at the Boston branch of Skinner Auctioneers & Appraisers in the coming months.

The Audubon prints could fetch higher prices on the market; depending on their size and condition, they each could net anywhere from $200 to $250,000, said Stuart Whitehurst, director of books and manuscripts at Skinner.

The fate of the prints is still under discussion.

The Tichnor plates will probably be given away, library trustees said, but no recipient has been named.

As the recession deepens, many public institutions have turned to art to pay the bills.

Brandeis University made national headlines when it said it would close its Rose Art Museum and sell the collection following a huge drop in the university's endowment. (The fate of the art museum and its collection has not been determined.) The National Academy Museum in New York sold two Hudson River School paintings for millions of dollars to help cover operating costs, and the Carnegie Museum of Art of Pennsylvania sold four items at Sotheby's in March.

Members of the Boston Public Library collections committee argue that the economy is not the culprit here. They also say the library doesn't plan to sell or give away other objects.

Clancy said the library wants to get rid of the piano, prints, and glass plates because the objects do not fit into the overall collection and because money from their sale can be plowed back into conservation. In the case of the Audubon prints, the library owns a duplicate set.

"The central issue is that it's a huge collection that keeps growing without a particular order," said Robert Pemberton, another member of the collections committee. "If we can't care for it, we shouldn't have it."

The Boston Public Library's special collection is on the third floor of the McKim Building, just a quick elevator ride away from computer terminals and circulation desks.

The special collection includes antislavery books from the late 1800s, rare maps of Colonial Boston, and prints by Rembrandt and Goya, among countless other holdings. Anyone can explore rare books or photographs simply by showing up or scheduling an appointment, and scholars and historians rely on the institution for research.

Selling off work can become dicey for public institutions, because they often receive the objects from private, wealthy donors with whom they want to maintain good relations.

"If we sell a piece, we'll often tell donors that the money will carry the name of the donor," said Dennis Fiori, president of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Institutions also need to decide how they will use the money they make from the sale. The American Association of Museums' guidelines state that this money must be used to buy new items for the collection or to care for existing work. Art museum directors in New York have also been pushing legislation that would prohibit museums from selling work to pay for operating expenses.

While the sale of historic objects has become more common during the economic downturn, Fiori said it always has been part of the ebb and flow of libraries, museums, and historical societies. "Every institution does it. We have to make sure that what we have and what we're holding works," he said.