During a digitization project, I noticed this intriguing printer’s error in a 18th century herbal. Apparently, the paper had a fold in it when it went through the press, which accounts for the wide blank line, and the crookedness of the text. On the opposite side, it was clear that they unfolded the paper before […]
Just wanted to let y’all know that I’m going to be speaking as a panelist for the Library Collections Care Discussion Group at this year’s AIC Annual Meeting, which is less than a month away from now! I’ll be chiming in about using social media (Twitter, Tumblr, etc) as a form of conservation outreach. This […]
One of the library staff found this book in the stacks and brought it to me to see if we should maybe put it somewhere safer (like Special Collections). It was published in 1798, and I’m pretty sure that’s the original binding, based on the paste-paper cover and hand-written spine label. The paper is absolutely […]
Friday morning project: preparing to fill out the Preservation Statistics survey. Here’s a handy infographic about preservation-related statistics! (Source: https://vine.co/)
Carefully opening a sealed commemorative box of Kellogg’s corn flakes in the conservation lab. The emptied box will go live a happy life in one of our Archives collections. No, I’m not going to taste the cereal… 😛 (Source: https://vine.co/)
When only the best wheat paste will do, buy Tik!
What tape does to paper. You can see my fingers through the tape, which has made the paper translucent.
Here in the lab there’s no issues,With using our tissues,Except when you sneeze,We ask you quite please,Use the Kleenex and not the Sekishu! There once was a company named Demco,Whose products were used with a gusto,On spines they would drape,The most marvelous tape,Removing its really quite slow, yo. I work in a book-fixing lab,this makes […]
I’d like to dissent with the view that you should let your book-devouring pets near your library books.
(Image from the Library of Congress Digital Collections) I’m researching a bit about horn books, because I have to make some enclosures for a few in our collection. During my research I came across this delightful quote (from “HISTORY OF THE HORN-BOOK”, The Spectator, 1 Aug 1896) “Mr. Tuer says that the "preservation of more […]