Gloucestershire County Council is giving collectors the chance to buy unused books and texts that are gathering dust in the county’s libraries.

The items going on sale are unused and/or in poor and deteriorating condition. None of them directly relate to the county’s history or heritage. A similar sale in 2009 raised more than £100,000 income for Libraries & Information.

Most of the items being sold are what remains of the Hartland Collection* – the majority of which was auctioned during the 1990s. These volumes, which are held at Gloucestershire Archives, have not been used or requested by the public since they were noted as remaining in the county stock in 2000. Similar items from the former reference collections of Cheltenham and Gloucester libraries, also unused for many years, have also been submitted to the sale.

There are around 780 items being sold by The Cotswold Auction Company, who have salerooms in Cirencester, Cheltenham and Gloucester. The books will go on sale on February 2nd at the Cheltenham saleroom, Chapel Walk. The sales catalogue can be viewed at www.cotswoldauction.co.uk Letters have been sent to Cheltenham and Gloucester City Museum in advance of these items appearing in the sales catalogue, so that they are aware of the opportunity to purchase these items.

Trevor Allen from Gloucestershire County Council’s Libraries & Information said: “Even though these items are listed on the public catalogue, nobody is getting any use or pleasure out of them. They should be appreciated and properly cared for. This is an opportunity for museums, other libraries and specialist collectors to get their hands on rare, antiquarian books and for us to raise some funds.”

Cllr Antonia Noble, Gloucestershire County Council Cabinet Member for Libraries, said: “The county council’s policy of periodically reviewing its collections works positively for everyone involved - the collectors have a chance to bid for rare books, and the revenue feeds back into the budget, helping us to maintain library services.

“With resources stretched, we are always looking for ways to bring in more money, and this sale should achieve that without affecting our service to customers. I’m sure the sale will generate a lot of interest.”