What to do to avoid Orphan Books in your estate

The first step in avoiding orphan books in your estate is to inventory your books. At a minimum the inventory should include a description, the condition and the location of the book. LibraryThing is an excellent tool, and I feel very easy to use, but you can also do it on a pad of paper or index cards. What’s important is to get the knowledge about your books that is between your ears out and recorded someplace where others can find it.

The second step is to aggregate your books into different categories. The basic categories are “good, better, best” that is, those books which are good, those books which are better than good, and those books which you feel are the best. This is not a financial criteria, tough the monetary value of the book does factor into the equation, it is a personal one. The question is based on the relationship you, and your heirs, will have with the book. I have the first book ever purchased by my great-great Grandfather with his own money, it is of no value, but it is one of the best books I own.

You can also aggregate your books based on whether they are inventory (for dealers), investment, monetary value, to liquidity.

The third step is to convey this knowledge to your heirs. Sometimes this is through a letter, sometimes it is through involving them (or your presumptive executor) in your management of your books, sometimes it is through nominating a professional you trust to handle the collection.

Finally, my advice is to be generous. Gift books to younger collectors, whether family or not, who value them, if not, then explore where you could have your collection well received, whether in whole or in part, by an institution. Indeed, if you coordinate your book buying with an institution, you will know that they will always take your collection at your death.

I have no idea what sentimental attachment others might have to anything in my collection. Maybe my kids might identify one or more with me especially, I have no idea. Unless they say before my death that they'd like to have those titles, I'm not likely to know.

I've vaguely thought about putting a line in my will to say, here is the order in which the following individuals are welcome to take what they like before my wife (executor) gets the remainder to do as she will with them. Which I believe is to create a nice bonfire and cook marshmallows, last time she spoke of it.

Your idea of letting people come and take what they please is a good one. I usually suggest that clients make such gifts, or insturctions, in a letter or memo that goes with the will, and add a line in the will that you may leave such a letter or memo and ask that the Executor make those distributions.

>3 Matthew_Erskine:, why separate those instructions from the will?

For ease of managing the distribution of assets in the estate. If there is a specific gift of a specific asset, and that asset cannot be found, some courts say that the value of the asset shoudl go to the beneficiary. So if you say " I give my Gutenberg Bible to my cousin Louis" in you will, and you sell the Bible before your death, the courts make your estate pay Cousin Louis the equivalent value of the Bible, By having it in a memordaum separate from the will, it is a moral obligation but not a legal one.

My intention is that my home will be debt free and available for use by any of my heirs for just the cost of yearly taxes, utilities and a bit of upkeep. Thus, the collection becomes a legacy library. There are enough of them (heirs) that one or another would be glad to take it on.

If they want to sell the property, they’ve already staked out future possession of entire chunks, by the shelf-full. And tastes vary enough, and they respect each other, there won’t be any friction. I see no problems.

Cultivate readers!