A comment or two about things which have been and might come to be. The first is about an item which aired on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition, Sunday, 17 July 2011, headlined "Students Get Up Close And Personal With Rare Books."

The piece is by (Miss) Sandy Hausman, a reporter for Radio Station WVTF in Roanoke, Virginia. The audio is less than three minutes long. There is a nearly complete text in the Program Notes and a transcript which can be opened. All three of these vary slightly. The piece talks about the University of Virginia but is actually about "The Rare Book School." Seewww.rarebookschool.org. This school is located on the campus of the University of Virginia (but separate from it) in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Prof. Dr. Michael F. Suarez, S.J., is director of the school and is heard briefly in the report. The school lists what to me seems to be quite a large faculty. It holds a number of courses throughout the year in Charlottesville, Baltimore and Washington. Most of these courses (five to six days long) seem to be offered during the summer semester break period.

A slight pause here to regroup my forces. I am once again trying to get caught up with my reading of the latest E-Sylum issues. In doing so over the past few weeks it started to seem to me that although it is a publication for bibliophiles, there is precious little information of a more or less technical / conservation nature offered. Press releases from numismatic book sellers and publishers are interesting but not everything. Questions are sometimes raised about repairs, upkeep, lighting, binding, humidity and so on and over the next two or three weeks a few replies, beliefs, speculation and suggestions turn up but seldom is there an Expert Opinion offered.

Is there help for this (perceived?) problem just down the road? In Charlottesville perhaps? It seems there is a big herd of specialists hanging out there and maybe one or the other or even a few might just be agreeable to doing something nice and helpful for the Numismatic Bibliomania Society. And if things work out really well might do it for free. Perhaps it would be helpful if a way could be found to get in contact with the Rare Book School. Maybe somebody would be available for an Expert Opinion now and again or might be willing to write some type of bibliographic column for The E-Sylum.

Except that there are no columns in The E-Sylum -- except perhaps the two paragraphs starting each issue from The Editor. And this just might bring us to consider the speed at which things happen in The E-Sylum. Slowly -- from weekly issue to weekly issue. Digital snail mail. Dear Editor - this is not meant as criticism. Any plans in the direction of an interactive discussion site?

To read the complete article, see:Students Get Up Close And Personal With Rare Books(www.npr.org/2011/07/17/137824808/students-get-up-close-and-personal-with-rare-books)

To visit the NBS Facebook page, see:www.facebook.com/pages/Numismatic-Bibliomania-Society/144733835552745