I had the pleasure of meeting with two other bookmark collectors this week (and no, that’s not a picture from our meeting - no one brought a camera). Lauren Roberts (editor and operator of BiblioBuffet), Laine Farley (contributer to BiblioBuffet’s On Marking Books column), and I met for an early dinner. Laine’s work brought her to Santa Barbara, and in the world of bookmark collecting, three collectors in the same town is the perfect excuse to get together and show off our collections.
There’s something inspiring about talking with other collectors (especially when they have such impressive credentials). I had a great time talking about our collections, methods of collecting, and experiences collecting. I left inspired to spend a bit more time planning, organizing, expanding, and displaying my own collection.
Since that meeting, I’ve also spent some time thinking about how much I enjoyed sharing experiences and exchanging ideas. And, as I’ve recently been thinking about some new directions for the Bookmark Collector blog, I plan on experimenting with some interactive blog posts to try and share that same experience with more of you, the collectors who stop by this site. We’re connected worldwide, and we come with different experiences and a lot to learn from each other.
So, look forward to upcoming posts on bookmark naming conventions, categorizing bookmarks, displaying bookmark collections, and bookmark pricing summaries. Plan on leaving thoughts, ideas, opinions, and experiences. We can’t all meet for dinner at a restaurant on the beach with a beautiful view on a sunny day, but we can recreate that exchange of ideas and stimulating discussions.
Thank you Lauren and Laine and let’s hope we can do it again sometime.
1 response so far ↓
Lauren // Aug 16th 2008 at 9:05 am
Alan, it was a wonderful time! Bookmark collecting is relatively rare (though growing), and to be able to spend time looking through your bookmarks and talking to you and Laine about them renewed my enthusiasm too.
I was especially taken with the many small metal ones you have, a number of which I have never seen before.
It also occurred to me while driving home to wonder if any museums or libraries might be interested in having bookmark exhibitions. I know there was one in a New Jersey university library–the collector, Lois, worked there–but that was several years ago. Might it be worth considering an online exhibition? The “curators” could solicit digital submissions and put together an virtual exhibition. It would take some time and effort to gather a focused exhibit, but it could be very interesting.
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