All rare book vendors must be members of ABAA, the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America. Membership in ABAA ensures ethical processes for purchasing and selling rare books, and a promise to return any stolen books to their proper owners.
The ABAA website, book vendor catalogs and websites, local book shops and regional book fairs, as well as auction houses are all platforms for selecting rare books.
There are eight endowed or special funds for rare books, including three endowed by the Mailhes family. These include a fund for books broadly related to Philosophy, a fund for books on cats (the Charlee LaChatte fund), and a fund for books on dogs (the Awful Annie fund). The Monroe Labouisse Fund, Horace Renegar Collection, and a small fund dependent annually on specific donation for rare book purchases (Rare Books - Gifts) are used more generally across disciplines for rare purchases. The Chapman fund is used for books on the fine arts, including fine bindings and artists books.
| Account Number | Fund Name | Assigned To | Purpose |
| 423410 | Monroe Labouisse Fund | Jillian Cuellar | [Assigned to support Rare Books] |
| 423479 | Horace Renegar Collection | Jillian Cuellar | [Assigned to support Rare Books] |
| 423361 | The Little Awful Annie Mailhes Fund | Jillian Cuellar | Income to be used to purchase rare books on dogs. |
| 423362 | The Charlee Lachatte Mailhes Fund | Jillian Cuellar | Income to be used to purchase rare books on cats. |
| 423363 | The Mona and Marjorie and Peter Mailhes Memorial Collection Fund | Jillian Cuellar | Income to be used to purchase rare books in philosophy. |
| 424191 | A Watson Chapman Graphic Arts Collection | Jillian Cuellar | Income shall be used for the expansion and/or maintenance of the A. Watson Chapman Graphic Arts Collection, as provided by the bequest of A. Watson Chapman. |
| 628718 | Rare Books - Gifts | Jillian Cuellar | Donations/Gifts - To purchase rare books. Income from Gifts from donors. |
| 423432 | Hazel Drumheller And E Philip Bollier Memorial Fund Library English | Jillian Cuellar | Effective FY 2003, income is to be evenly divided and used for support of the Department of Art #424143, the Department of Music # 424142, the Department of Theatre and Speech #424144 and the Department of English #423432 (Library) originally for books related to T.S. Elliot or Ezra Pound |
