Vessels and voyagers: Some thoughts on reading and writing, books and libraries

This travelogue is intended as a reminder of certain fundamental matters specified or implied in the title. Readers will quickly discern that it was written for oral presentation; that tone is retained here intentionally. An earlier version of the essay was delivered as the keynote address at the third annual Timberline Acquisitions Institute, Mt. Hood, Oregon, in May 2002. It was dedicated to the memory of Kathryn A. Soupiset, the author's colleague and friend, who was the longtime Head of Acquisitions at Trinity University.