Pamphlet binding is one of the easiest forms of bookbinding and highly accessible for most people who want to make a simple journal or sketch book. The Basics Pamphlet binding involves very few steps, but the pattern of sewing changes depends on the size of the pages being sewn. Ultimately, pamphlet binding can only be…Continue Reading Basic Bookbinding: Pamphlet Sewing
These techniques were learned from a web-based tutorial courtesy of the Creative Arts Workshop. Learn more about CAW and their programs: http://creativeartsworkshop.org/. This was another experiment done while working from home, but repeatable in the studio or lab space. Book cloth: What is it? Book cloth is a cotton-based fabric with a protective backing of…Continue Reading Experimental Art: Making Bookcloth
The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) is hosting Ask A Conservator Day today, November 18th. The day is meant to raise awareness about conservation, and conservators around the world will be participating on social media (follow the #AskAConservator hashtag across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to see what’s being posted and discussed by others). For a…Continue Reading It’s #AskAConservator Day!
Background Every year in July, I tabulate statistics for treatments performed by the Preservation Unit and for materials sent to the commercial bindery for the fiscal year that ends in June. The FY20 numbers were calculated in July, but only as numbers in a spreadsheet. I participated in a tutorial earlier this year on Tableau,…Continue Reading A Year in Numbers
In a change from our typical themes, we present a mystery: The Case of the Salt and Vinegar Microfilm. A frightening tale of degradation, fitting for Halloween this weekend. The piece is a work of fiction very loosely based on true events from Mullins Library. Oh, that smell… Sounds of a typewriter clicking and the…Continue Reading The Case of the Salt and Vinegar Microfilm
Don’t forget to check out our News section under the Outreach tab. We try to update it regularly and even though the current climate has quelled our events for the rest of the year, there are always exciting things going on in the field of preservation/conservation of material culture from all around the world. Most…Continue Reading EXTRA! EXTRA!
[Un]Boxing is a series where we’ll explore the creative and unusual ways to safely house fragile materials for the Libraries’ collections. This is the first installment and features a project finished in 2019 for the Archives in Special Collections. As part of the MC 1798 Ralph Hyman Papers there is a set of three miniature…Continue Reading [Un]Boxing: String Trio
One of our Preservation Unit interests is the impact of our work on the environment around us. We’re interested in implementing sustainable initiatives in all aspects of preservation work—any steps to change both our habits and typical procedures are worth taking. Understanding the goal of preservation helps when considering sustainability in our operations. Our aim…Continue Reading Library Preservation and Sustainability: Part 1
During the summer of 2020, the staff of the Preservation Unit was working from home. Being home did limit our access to collections material and force us to create a make-shift studio in a spare room, but thankfully we weren’t the only ones around the world having to adjust to this temporary stage. Many Conservation…Continue Reading Summer Webinar Series Recap
This is the last part! If you’ve followed the adventure since the start of “Fish Leather” till now, you’ll have seen the entire progression from raw fish to finished book! How exciting! Catch up with Part 1 and Part 2 first, and let’s dive right in, shall we? 7. Leather Prep Now that my book…Continue Reading Assembling A Fishy Book: Part 3