otfl thomas2012
TRANSCRIPT
Collections Care for the Real World
Lynne M. ThomasNorthern Illinois University
March 14, 2012
Preservation vs. Conservation vs. Collections Care
• Conservators = expertise/training in hands-on book/paper/art repair
• Preservation librarians = expertise/training in determining needs for conservators, basic book repairs, prevention, disaster plan, etc.
• Preservation administrators = plan, find money to fund the preservation librarians and conservators
• Collections care = How do we keep this in use?
Preservation “expertise” for Paper-Based Materials
Basic Library Preservation
Benign Neglect
Staff & Patron Education
Environmental Controls
The Beauty of “Benign Neglect”
• Stabilize it, shelve it, ignore it.• “Benign neglect” often does the trick– Paper & Microfilm
• …Except when it doesn’t– Audiovisual materials– The Digital Age
Environmental Controls
• Turn off the lights!• Keep your temperature and humidity as stable
as possible • Be nice to your building services folks • Understand your building (and have a plan for
when it breaks).
Disaster Plans
• HAVE ONE. You will need it eventually.• Free Disaster Planning Tool: dPlan
http://www.dplan.org/• “I think we have insurance” does not count.• Supplies: Gaylord.com; home improvement
stores
Staff and Patron Education
• Model good behavior• Shelve and Unshelve properly• Photocopying and scanning practices• Don’t make temporary additions to books
permanent: (post-its, paper and paperclips and rubberbands, oh my!)
Sometimes, You Win
• Patron and Staff education– Bookmarks– Signs– Halloween Horror Show (exhibit or online)– Rainy Day Bags– Policies, procedures, and plans: HAVE SOME.
Sometimes, You Lose
• Mold• Tape• Mishandling• Lack of replacement funds• Degredation of materials (i.e. brittle books, vinegar syndrome)
Sometimes, It Rains. Indoors.
• Disasters• Bathtub Dunks• Act of Dog• Library Cafes• “Deferred
maintenance”
Collections Care: Paper
Stabilization: The most bang for your buck– Tying/Boxing– Envelopes– Encapsulation– The magic words: “lignin-free” “alkaline”
“buffered”
Collections Care: Paper
• Minor Repairs– Glueing– Tipping-in of single leaves– TAPE = EVIL
• Medium Repairs– Spine repair– Reattaching boards
How do I…?
• Search YouTube for how-to videos• CARLI Preservation Working Group workshops• Preservation webliography: http://
www.carli.illinois.edu/mem-serv/pres-weblio.html
• http://www.campbellcenter.org/ (Mt. Carroll, IL)
Calling in the professionals
• Major repairs: re-backing, re-binding, re-casing
• Full conservation treatment: don’t try this at home!
• Finding a conservator– American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
guidelines: http://aic.stanford.edu/public/select.html
How do I pay for this?
• Find a donor/sponsor or a Friend• Talk to your administration• Get a grant
– IMLS http://www.imls.gov/– NEH Preservation assistance grantshttp://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/pag.html– NEH Grants for Stabilizing Humanities Collectionshttp://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/stabilization.html– Guide to Foundation Grants for Preservationhttp://www.loc.gov/preserv/foundtn-grants.html– Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board (ISHRAB) grants:http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/ishrab/ishrab.html
When it’s gone…it’s gone
• You can’t save everything. Really. (And that’s ok.)
• Can it be replaced if it can’t be repaired?• Alternative formatting– Preservation photocopies– Digitization
