The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., has partnered with Valerie Tomaselli and MTM Publishing "to develop its own books and place them in the publishing marketplace."

The Hall of Fame, as part of its mandate as an independent nonprofit educational institution, already publishes illustrated books based on its collections and archives with publishers including Simon & Schuster, DK Publishing, and Little, Brown. The new arrangement will, the institution said, "open new markets to the books published under its name."

“The Hall has such a vast array of resources to bring to publishing partners,” Tomasello said in the statement. “Its exhibitions alone—rigorously researched, thoughtfully scripted, beautifully presented—offer surefire publishing. And the expertise of the staff, along with the Hall’s reputation, will bring unmatched credibility to all of its publishing partners.”

A baseball fan, Tomaselli says one of her main goals is reaching more readers in more categories. Tomaselli will meet with publishers in the adult and children’s markets over the next few months to discuss potential projects.

“What Valerie brings to the table,” Hall of Fame v-p of retail marketing and licensing, Sean Gahagan, said in a statement, “is experience across a wide range of publishing categories. With her expertise and the Hall’s rich content, we hope to see Hall of Fame books available to baseball fans through a variety of retail outlets, libraries, and academic conferences.”