Caring
for Library Materials (L4L)
A
Simple Book Repair Manual
This manual is a wonderful introduction to book repair, done by the Dartmouth
College Library Preservation Services Staff. It includes principles of repair,
guidelines for determining when a particular item is a candidate for in-house
repair, the tools you need, and instructions for ten simple repairs, e.g., tipping
in a page and repairing corners, torn pages, and the spine. Links on the pages
are to photos that illustrate a condition (what is a small tear?) or procedure
(removing the spine of a book cover).
Book
Care and Repair Page
The Internet links on this page "are drawn from a variety of academic, library
and individual sources on book care and repair. They cover general care and
specific conditions, bookbinding terms and supplies, and additional Internet
resources. Links to newspaper and document care have also been added." A very
useful collection of links from the Tippecanoe (IN) County Library's Tech Services
section.
Nonprint
Care Resources
A companion series of links to the Book Care and Repair Page from Tippecanoe
County Library. Topics covered include film and photographs, audio and video
recordings, and CDs and DVDs.
Silverfish
Abatement in a Library
A slide show on how to deal with one of the less delectable problems your books
can encounter. See also Silverfish,
Their Activities, and How to Stop Them! [pdf]
Repairing
Audio Cassettes
A plain text site that gives straightforward advice on taking a cassette
apart and putting it together again, as well as sluggish tapes, splicing
a tape, and dealing with the "half-twisted" tape.
Tips
for Trouble Free VCR Operation
Another brief, but useful guide.
Audio
Preservation and Restoration
More on preserving and restoring CDs, as well as information on caring for
video tapes. Included are some disaster plans specifically for media collections.
Links and bibliography are provided. More than you ever wanted to know may
be on this site, but check it out.
The
Problem of Conservation in Small Libraries and a Practical Solution [pdf]
A short, readable essay based on the following beliefs: "There is great pleasure
and satisfaction in preserving books, in repairing damage found in them and
in restoring them to a better state of repair. There is also great satisfaction
in conserving books so that other people can use them when they need them.
Even in the small library, if there is commitment to conservation, preservation
and restoration, much can be accomplished." From Archival.com's Newsletter
(see below).
Preservation
Strategies for Small and Public Libraries [pdf]
The strategies recommended in this article "are designed to reduce immediate
and long-term costs and strengthen the library's collection development goals." From
Archival.com's Newsletter (see below).
Archival.com's
Newsletter
Archived articles in pdf format on a variety of useful and fascinating topics,
e.g., Managing a Stacks Cleaning Project, Tips on Doing a Time Capsule, Tips
on Protective Enclosure for Pamphlets, Mold Fighting on a Tight Budget, and
more.
Conservation
OnLine (CoOL)
And, finally, the standard resource for conservation professionals. "CoOL,
a project of the Preservation Department of Stanford University Libraries,
is a full text library of conservation information, covering a wide spectrum
of topics of interest to those involved with the conservation of library, archives
and museum materials." It also has an extensive list of links.
Supporting public libraries in Outagamie and Waupaca counties