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Where to Send Items         What We Can Do         Repair Tools

Where to Send Items

Any items in need of repair can be sent to "PRESERVATION", through the mailroom. Library staff can also place items on the "INCOMING" book truck stationed just inside the door of the Preservation Lab on 5th floor of Hale Library. All items will be charged to the proper library patron, so that they can be located if needed.

Most damaged books that have circulated are sent to the Preservation Lab after they have been discharged. The damaged books are assessed and charged to the appropriate shelf patron (i.e., Hold for Missing Pages, Hold for Rebind, Spine Repair, etc.) After the damaged items have been charged they are placed in the area where they will receive treatment.

What We Can Do

Listed below are explanations and descriptions of what work is done in the lab.

Archival Enclosures - These books have been assessed in the Review Room and need to be measured for a custom-made box, which is ordered from Heckman Bindery. Enclosures for smaller items are made in-house.

Missing Pages – Missing pages are most often ordered through Interlibrary Loan Services. Once the missing material is received the item may be re-bound or the pages may be tipped in in-house.

Page Mending – Books, maps, or other paper items with torn pages are mended. Methods for repair include using document repair tape, Japanese paper, or heat-set tissue.

Pamphlet Bind – Booklets or pamphlets are placed in commercially made pamphlet binders. Large or unusually sized items have a custom-made pamphlet binder made in-house.

Pockets – Accompanying material can be housed in pockets. Pockets are also made for items placed in pamphlet binders as needed. Slings are made from card stock for fragile items that need to be housed in a pocket.

Preservation Assessment – Books that are too brittle to bind or repair are assessed by the Collection Development and Rare Book librarians. Decisions are made as to the appropriate way to handle the material, whether it is boxed, withdrawn, transferred to Special Collections, replaced, returned to the stacks, or preservation photocopied.

Rebinds - Books that have more than 5 loose pages can be considered for rebinding. Other items that are worn (but not brittle) and in need of rebinding can be sent for re-binding.

Re-case – If books are not brittle they can be considered for re-casing in-house. The first and last three signatures are re-sewn with new end sheets, and a new case is made for the item.

Spine repairs - These are books that have intact binding and a text block in good condition, but the spine is loose or completely torn off. Rolls of buckram tape are used to do this repair work.

Tip-Ins - These books have loose pages that need to be tipped in. Replacement pages can also be ordered if needed.

Repair Tools

Measurement tool for archival enclosures	Book Press
Spine repair tools