title: Medical rare book provenance.
abstract: Provenance is defined as the record of a book's ownership history. Its value and uses are explored. A survey of provenance practices in medical school rare book libraries found that only 21% of the reporting libraries maintain this important file. Examples of the uses and value of a provenance file in a medical rare book collection are presented. Decisions necessary to institute and maintain such a file are outlined and discussed.
mesh_terms: D004282:Documentation; D005371:Filing; D007993:Libraries, Medical; D011904:Rare Books