In the Basement: Conservation, Preservation, and Restoration in Progress

Down in the Walter Clinton Jackson Library’s basement, you will find more than just that oh so famous doughnut. This is where you will find preservation and conservation being performed on your favourite library materials. This includes not only the materials in Jackson Library, but the music scores and manuscripts housed in the Harold Schiffman Music Library, located in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. As the keepers of UNCG’s collections, we aim to prolong the life of our materials and their informational content.

Image: Studiovin at Shutterstock Free Images

Library preservation encompasses everything which serves to prolong the life of the items in the collection. In our collection at Jackson Library, this encompasses everything from books, maps, reference materials, periodicals, and journals, to documents, university archives, special collections and of course our beloved, elderly doughnut.

You may be wondering exactly what preservation, conservation, and restoration is and how it keeps the library filled with the seemingly never-ending selection of books to indulge in. In fact, Jackson Library holds over 2.19 million printed books, archives, federal and state documents, all of which we are responsible for providing the care and conservation. Down in room 61, we use methods of conservation, restoration, and preservation that have been around for centuries to maintain our collections and keep them accessible to students, professors, and the public.

UNCG University Libraries'
infamous 39 year old doughnut

The majority of the damage to our books (that is not due to natural ageing), is due to mishandling. Actions such as removing books from the shelf by pulling the top of the spine, forcing the books to open wider than the spine structure allows, using pens and highlighters, and sticking post-it notes to pages, all cause unnecessary and preventable harm. This lack of basic care can lead to the rapid deterioration of the items in our collection. Prevention is the best way to keep collection damage to a minimum and prolong the lives of our books and resources.

Damage prevention can be classed under the umbrella of passive conservation and preservation. Preservation is defined by the British Library as “all managerial, technical and financial considerations applied to retard deterioration and extend the useful life of (collection) materials to ensure their continued availability.” The preservation of materials in the library consists of controlling the handling, storage, disaster response, pests, light, pollution, temperature and humidity. Of course, the books and materials in our collections will experience the effects of natural aging and will need intervention due to this, but we slow the deterioration and extend the usable lives of these items by controlling the environment they are housed in and preparing accordingly for potential disasters.

This process of preservation is a non-invasive way of protecting the collection - it does not alter the books or materials. Preventing mould, insects, nibbling vermin, water damage, and other elements that can lead to the demise of a book is the first line of defense against collection loss. This preventative approach is regarded as the most effective way of maintaining an object’s health and achieving overall longevity.

The American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), defines Conservation as being, “The profession devoted to the preservation of cultural property for the future. Conservation activities include examination, documentation, treatment, and preventative care, supported by research and education.”

In the Library, conservation encompasses the activities of active treatment. These repairs are structural and ultimately serve to prolong the life of the book. Decisions on the repair of bookbindings consist of considering the structural integrity, usage, function, and its historical importance.

Book conservation also includes the disbinding, surface cleaning, deacidification, mending and guarding of pages, as well as re-sewing and the repair of text blocks. It’s important to note that the role of a book conservator isn’t to make an old book look brand new again, but to make it suitable for use. Mindell Dubansky, head of book conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, stated in an interview in 2018, “I’m not going to rebind a book because it’s old and beat-up, I treasure the fact that its old and beat-up. What I’m going to try to do is repair all the parts that are vulnerable to make it functional.”

Occasionally, our books and materials are in need of restorative work. Restoration is the process of returning the book to as close to the original condition as possible.

Broken spine of a leather bound book

This includes restoring bindings, book covers, stain removal, rebuilding missing parts, and refinishing. The process of book restoration is built on the foundation of reflecting the original way the book was bound for publication. The methods of restoration overlap with the those of conservation but entail a more invasive intervention. Unlike conservation, restoration work includes both cosmetic and structural repair and is concerned with more than just function. When doing restoration work on a book, there is a deep consideration of not just the functionality of the book but also how the book was presented at publishing.

There is an apparent overlap in the processes of preserving, conserving, and restoring library materials, which contributes to the ongoing debate over the usage of them. The main difference, I would say, is in the intention of the repair and the desired outcome. At Jackson Library, we employ these terms to keep our collections well maintained and accessible for the public.

by Georgia Barrett, current UNCG student and Preservation Services student employee

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References:

Bendix, Caroline. "Preservation Advisory Centre." Damaged Books. British Library, 2010.

Northeast Document Conservation Center. Book Conservation. n.d. nedcc.org/book-conservation/about.

Pearson, David, John Mumford, and Alison Walker. "Preservation Advisory Centre." Bookbindings. British Library, 2010.

Walker, Alison. "Preservation Advisory Centre." Basic Preservation for Library and Archive Collections. British Library, 2013.

Library is to Museum as Paper is to Book...

Have you ever considered that your favourite library could be a sort of museum? When we consider the extensive collections, occasional exhibits, book talks, and in-house conservation work, we find there are many similarities in purpose and programming between the two institutions.

The Ancient Library of Alexandria, Mouseion at Alexandria.
Image: http://www.crystalinks.com/libraryofalexandria.html

The modern museum is defined by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) as, "An organized and permanent nonprofit institution, essentially education or esthetic in a purpose, with professional staff, that owns or uses tangible objects, cares for them and exhibits them to the public on some regular schedule." You must only enter a library to notice how this definition of museum is applicable and well suited to a public library.

But to really understand the deeper relationship between a library and museum we must look at the origins of this institution.

As we delve into the archives, we discover the earliest description of a museum being a place where the muses dwell. Muses were goddesses that inspired the arts, history, and science which was monumental in paving the way for exploration, discovery, and creativity. Pre-dating the word 'museum', these institutions were known as mouseions.

UNC Greensboro Campus. Image: https://uc.uncg.edu/prod/cweekly/
2013/04/09/takesurveyonmasterplan/041013feature_masterplan/

This third century establishment was a place of knowledge and inspiration, which draws on parallels to the modern-day university.

As a university library, our mission reflects the original undertaking Ptolemy Soter realized by founding the mouseion. This museum-library relationship emphasizes the importance of conserving objects and history, whilst making them available for educational use. I must also mention that as restoration, conservation, and preservation have evolved and developed scientifically, the responsibility of these modern-day institutions to keep history alive has grown.

UNC Greensboro University Libraries Exhibit.
https://library.uncg.edu/info/depts/scua/exhibits/current_exhibits.aspx

Here in Preservation Services we continue to preserve, conserve, and restore items that are valuable to our collection, our patrons, and our community. Much like a museum, we want to keep our collections accessible and available for use. Through various methods of preventative conservation, passive conservation, active conservation, and restoration we aim to increase the longevity of our books, music scores, and the various items you will find in our collections.

We will let you decide if a library is a museum, but next time you visit, consider the care, history, and significance of the items in our collection.

Written by: Georgia Barrett

Georgia is a current UNC Greensboro student and she works in Preservation Services.
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Resource:
Latham, K.F., & Simmons, J.E. (2014). Foundations of museum studies: Evolving systems of knowledge. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Leather Binding Repair: One Method of Board Reattachment

        Leather has been used in bookbinding since the Medieval Era, but remains in use today, though often reserved for fine bindings. It is an ideal material for bookbinding due to its strength and flexibility as well as its receptivity to decoration, such as tooling or stamping. Depending on the tanning method (how the leather is treated once harvested from the animal) and what kind of environmental exposure it has endured, leather may last for centuries.

       When leather is used in a bookbinding, one of the common areas it can fail is at the hinge of the book where the front or back cover is connected to the spine of the book. Since the cover flexes in that area, the leather may crack or split over time. We regularly have books submitted to Preservation Services for repair because the leather covers are detached. Following is one such example and how we reattached the covers. 

Detached cover - a common issue with leather bindings

        There are several different methods for reattaching the covers on leather bindings. The following method was chosen because this book was a tight back binding, meaning that the spine of the cover is directly adhered to the spine of the textblock. This is opposed to a hollow back binding, in which the spine of the cover flexes away from the spine of the textblock (it is not directly adhered). In a tight back binding, it is sometimes very difficult to lift the leather away from the textblock beneath because the leather is often quite brittle when it is older.

         For a small leather tight back binding, it is sometimes an adequate method of reattachment to create a patch of Japanese paper along the hinge of the spine and the cover. It can be reinforced with a similar patch on the inside of the cover along the hinge. However, for a larger book with thicker or heavier covers, it is necessary to make a stronger attachment.

Piercing through a sewing station to the exterior of the spine

        Since this book was a tight back, the leather was brittle, and it is a larger book with heavier covers, I chose to reattach the covers by piercing the spine. This is a more invasive version of board reattachment that I might have avoided for a more rare or otherwise special book. It is not ideal to pierce through the leather, but it does create a very strong attachment and can be disguised aesthetically with toned Japanese paper.

Once cord is threaded through the spine,
the leather is lifted

         First, I opened the textblock to the center of the first signature (signatures are groups of printed sheets folded in half, one inside the other). From there, I inserted a needle vise into a pair of sewing holes and out through the spine. I inserted thread through those holes to create a "U" shape through the spine with the ends extending outside the book. I repeated this step at another pair of sewing holes inside the same signature so that the board would be reattached from two locations along the spine.
     

The cords are trimmed, frayed and tucked under the leather

Leather is readhered to the cover with the cords
sandwiched between

        I was able to carefully lift the leather from the board along the spine edge of the book covers. After trimming to the right length, I frayed the ends of the thread or cord so they could be splayed out and would lay flatter once adhered to the cover between the leather and board. Then, I applied adhesive to reattach the leather to the board with the frayed cord sandwiched in between. This method provides a much stronger attachment than just a bridge or patch of Japanese paper along the hinge. However, the Japanese paper was added afterward as an added layer of strength and to disguise the mend. A patch of toned Japanese paper was also used on the inside of the cover along the hinge.

Toned Japanese paper adhered along the exterior hinge
to add strength to the mend as well as to disguise it

Toned Japanese paper adhered along the exterior hinge
to add strength to the mend as well as to disguise it

        All of the above steps were performed on both the front and back covers, then the book was returned to circulation for patrons to use as needed.

 
        A very special thanks is due to conservator Jeff Peachey for his workshop I attended on Leather Board Reattachments at Emory University Libraries' Preservation Lab in November, 2018.

Preservation: An Ounce of Prevention...

Left: Prefabricated document boxes; Right: Custom-fitted
enclosures for some of the scrapbooks in our collection

As Benjamin Franklin suggested, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

A lot of what we have discussed on our blog to date is related to the conservation treatments that we execute, which is only part of Preservation. We take a number of steps daily as part of our overall Preservation program to aid in preventing damage and to prolong the life of our collections.

The way items are stored is part of our overall Preservation program to ensure the longevity of our collections. Many of the items in UNC Greensboro's Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) are quite stable as is and can be housed on appropriate shelving in our closed stacks. Some items, though, need additional protection and are in prefabricated enclosures, such as archival document boxes. Others require custom enclosures. Scrapbooks, for example, are notoriously challenging to house as they are odd sizes, often contain poor quality paper, and are overstuffed with a variety of types of ephemera and photographs.

​These enclosures, both the prefabricated document boxes and the custom-fitted enclosures, are providing protective micro-climates for the items they house. They provide physical protection, such as keeping items flat when needed or protecting items from abrasion, but they also aid in keeping a steady temperature and humidity level.

A tennis racket is just one example of a unique
item in our collection that is challenging to house

SCUA is comprised of several collections, including Rare Books, Manuscripts, Cello Music (an internationally renowned collection), Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project (WVHP), and University Archives, as well as a number of Digital Collections available online. Though many items are fairly standard formats, such as books, music scores, and documents, there are a few unique artifacts that do not fit neatly into prefabricated enclosures, or any enclosures for that matter. There will always be exceptions to 'the rules' and a need to develop creative solutions for proper storage.

Textiles, namely clothing, also comprise a portion of our archives collection. We have early 20th century physical education uniforms, a number of class jackets, and military uniforms in the WVHP Collection beginning with an example from WWI. We also have other types of non-paper items requiring specialized storage solutions, such as ceramic mugs or class pins.

Equally important to how items are housed, is the need to regularly monitor the entire storage environment. Perhaps the single most important act of prevention is remaining observant. Our staff makes a point of walking the stacks daily to check for any changes or issues. This practice allows for early detection if there ever is an issue – a burst pipe, an insect infestation, a mold bloom, etc. Also, simply remaining alert when pulling an item for a patron allows for one more set of eyes regularly monitoring our collections.

Left: Prefabricated textiles boxes; Right: Early 20th Century
physical education uniform carefully packed with archival tissue

Generally, the optimal temperature for archival storage is in the range of 68-72 degrees (Farenheit) with a relative humidity (rH) of 45-55%. However, more important than achieving an exact temperature and rH is the need to avoid extreme fluctuations. We often see a lower rH level in the winter months and a higher level in the summer, or after an extended period of rain.​ (What is relative humidity?) SCUA is housed in a portion of the library that was built in the 1950s. As you might imagine, the challenges of maintaining temperature and humidity can prove to be a challenge. We have several dehumidifiers ready to go should our rH exceed acceptable levels.

Carolyn Shankle, Special Collections Specialist
conducting a daily walk-through of the collection

UV light can be very damaging to the items stored in SCUA, such as causing inks or photographs to fade, or bleaching paper. For this reason, it is not uncommon for special collections and archives to be housed in windowless rooms. In the case of SCUA, some windows are completely covered while others use a combination of window blinds and a special UV protection film on the windows.

Water sensors, have been deployed in areas where there is a concern that water damage might occur. These are particularly useful as a warning system during nights or weekends when SCUA staff are not present. For example, if a pipe were to leak, these sensors are wired to an alarm system and can be a great tool for early detection of water damage.

Since SCUA is part of the larger UNC Greensboro ecosystem, some of the protocol and preparedness actions we follow are mandates that apply to any part of the university. For example, the library receives an annual inspection by the Fire Marshall each year and all the fire extinguishers in the library are regularly checked to ensure they are in proper working order. The library also conducts fire drills as part of the University emergency preparedness plan.​

A librarian working in small library or archive that is not housed in a larger institution, may be responsible for creating the emergency preparedness plan, including scheduling inspections, creating a map of emergency exits, etc. Having a plan in place and quick access to information is key. At UNC Greensboro, we have a library-wide Emergency Preparedness Plan, which is available in a LibGuide on the library website. Various potential emergencies are addressed in the plan, but it includes such pertinent information as phone numbers, maps, locations of the mobile disaster kits, etc. ​

Mobile Disaster Kits, are staged within SCUA and throughout the library. The kits include sponges, tarps, a flashlight, scissors, tape, and other items helpful for quickly addressing issues such as a burst pipe or other flooding event. Staff know where the units are located in the event of an emergency. In an ongoing water leak event, such as a leaky pipe or roof leak, water diverters (funnels that can be hung under a leak to catch and redirect water) can be deployed to mitigate any further damage until the leak is repaired.

Mobile Disaster Kits such as the one pictured
are staged throughout the library

Much of our daily work is in conservation - repairing items that have been damaged in their use or due to the age of the item and its exposure to the environment over a long period of time. However, the steps mentioned above, such as limiting UV light exposure, monitoring temperature and rH, and being prepared in the event of a disaster, are all part of our overall Preservation Plan.

Recently, Keith Gorman, Assistant Dean for SCUA, engaged his graduate-level Archives course in a discussion about the need to rethink how archivists prepare for disasters. He wrote, "Over the past 50 years, archivists have been encouraged to consider disaster preparedness in terms of a localized event (a water leak, a fire, a flood, or a storm). Hurricane Katrina's destructive impact on the Gulf Coast forced archivists to rethink the way they manage risk and protect collections. Katrina was a regional/national event. Its impact was not just limited to a single library or archive. When Katrina made landfall, most cultural heritage disaster plans had not factored in such a scale of destruction. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, archivists started to factor in the effects of global climate change into their planning. For example, the frequency, scale, and intensity of weather events now appears to be increasing."

As we experience the effects of a changing global climate, we will need to consider the adequacy of our overall plan with a much broader perspective, especially our disaster preparedness. It is with that mindset that we will regularly reevaluate and update our Preservation Plan here at UNC Greensboro Libraries.

Restoration of a Marbled Leather Binding

The Seasons contains a series of four poems written by British poet James Thomson (1700-1748). Thomson began the series with Winter, which was published in 1726. He published Summer and Spring in the two years following. The final poem in the series, Autumn, was published as part of the complete edition in 1730.

The Seasons by James Thomson, after treatment

This copy of The Seasons, held in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives at UNCG, was published in 1837 by publisher Andrus, Judd, & Franklin of Hartford, Connecticut. It is a small binding of about 4 x 6 inches, which was easily held in the hand or tucked in the pocket of its owner. The book has a decorative leather binding known as marbled leather. The effect was created by pouring acidic solutions across the leather to create striated areas of color resembling marble. For more information about decorative leather binding terminology and techniques, click HERE.

We recently had the opportunity to treat this lovely little binding in Preservation Services. When we received it, the front board was attached only by its cords. The leather was split at the hinge on the front and back covers, a natural result of regular handling of an old, brittle leather binding. 

Both images are before treatment, on the right: the PVA-type adhesive
at the fore edge corner from a prior treatment

The fore edge corners and the hinges had previously been treated with a PVA-type adhesive (common examples of PVA adhesives are wood glue, white glue, or school glue), which created a clear, plastic-like coating that may have provided some protection but also may have contributed to further damage as the adhesive was stronger than the aging leather.

In process (L to R): mending the outer hinge with Japanese tissue, recreating a
missing endband, mending the endcap with Japanese tissue

Other than some water damage staining at the spine edge of the pages, the text block was in relatively good condition. A folio in the first section of pages was loose and the interior hinges at the front and back were split just as the leather was split on the outside of the hinges.

The split hinge at the front of the book allowed for access to the spine edge of the first section, so we were able to sew in the loose folio. The interior hinges were repaired with Japanese tissue and rice starch paste. The exterior hinges were repaired with brown Japanese paper and then further toned with watercolor to more closely resemble the original marbled leather. Once toned, the Japanese paper was sealed with a coating of Klucel-G/SC6000 which consolidates and serves as an added layer of protection as well as matches the sheen of the original leather.

After treatment: the outer hinge was mended and toned
to more closely resemble the original leather

This copy of The Seasons by James Thomson was returned to Special Collections and is now available to be shared with researchers and students interested in 18th century British poetry, blank verse poems, or perhaps marbled leather bindings.