“The Spine Collector” showcases the mysterious nature of publishing thieves, those out to get a book’s manuscript before it makes it to the press or the shelves. Follow this investigative journalist’s adventure through global publishing and big names like Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan and Stieg Larsson.

“Send in the Bugs” A look into the conservation work at the Medici Chapel, but it’s not what you might first think. These bugs do the cleaning themselves.

“Middle Ages Merlin Manuscript found in Bristol University Library” which gives us fragments that adjust our collective modern interpretations of the stories of Merlin and other Arthurian characters.

Life goals with this one, y’all: “College Sophomores Discover Hidden Text in Medieval Manuscript.” If you haven’t heard of a palimpsest, this is a great article to learn about them: A visual hybridization of time on the page.

A prospective view of the future of conservation post-pandemic and where we need to make strides now to better prepare ourselves and the field: “Conservation in the Time of COVID”.

A smattering of the weird and wonderful, this article details some of the strangest books in the so-aptly-called “Madman’s Library”, a book written by Edward Brooke-Hitching: “From cut-out confessions to cheese pages: browse the world’s strangest books“

In the vein of Conservation isn’t Neutral, Michelle from UCLA gives her “Thoughts on Conserving Racist Materials in Libraries“. Conservators have the responsibility of putting valuable time, effort and money into repairing materials. Our discernment needs to include the impact of the stories we chose to retain and sustain through our efforts.

Conservators at the Falkland Palace in Scotland encounter a common threat to books and works on paper after quarantine in “Pests in Collections – Silverfish“.

“The Inside Story of the $8 Million Heist from the Carnegie Library” is not only a thrilling adventure through a treasure trove of manuscripts, but also highlights the impact of conservation and preservation for historic collections.

Conservator and Associate Director, Sanchita Balachandran’s evocative story-telling showcases the depth of love conservators have for objects and the narratives they themselves tell the world. Read it here in “Malignant Patina: A Love Story”.

An inspiring story of an Indian conservationist-turned-bookstore-owner navigating online selling, community engagement, the pandemic, and championing sustainability via “Reading for Change”.

Chela Metzger reflects on the image of neutrality in library conservation in “Inner Meditations and Outer Resources for Understanding Library Conservation and Preservation as Racist or Anti-Racist.” She highlights steps towards an intentional view of our work and the implications it has for our collections, our researchers, and shaping our worldviews.

English conservator, Tiffany Moore breaks down the science of leather breaking down in “Conquering the Dreaded Red Rot.”

“This Vast Photo Archive Is Hidden Inside a Cold, Heavily Guarded Limestone Mine.” How do you take your photographs? On ice? Me too.

Fiction that features art/book/paper conservation can be found at this list: Conservation Fiction. Check back for new titles added. And feel free to ask us our favourites!

“A Glowing Shrine to the Printed Word” showcases the re-envisioned architecture of a NY library newly opened to the public. It’s a case of balancing form and function with consideration of historic preservation and aesthetic design.

“UK libraries and museums unite to save ‘astonishing’ lost library from private buyers.” Whose astonishing library, you ask? No one you’d probably recognize, but the titles in their library, you probably will: Austen, Burns, Bronte, and Scott to name a few. You can donate to their efforts here.

“A Book you Remember, a Kindle you Forget.” An opinion piece on the differences between reading on paper and reading from a screen and our ways of seeing.

“Restorers on a Roll” What does a canvas under restoration look like when it is treated ‘face up’ and ‘face down’? Watch conservators Liz Wicks and Marina Vincenti with Violante Ferroni’s artwork on the move… as conservation in Florence advances. (YouTube video)

“Janderized! The collateral damage of a fake conservator” tells the story of a con-man turned conservator who’s less than official techniques have led to a trail of stylized calling cards pointing directly to him. Sounds like a story deserving it’s own book or movie!

The conservation team at Windsor Castle takes on “A Jewelled Necklace with a Hidden Treasure” before it made it’s way to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland. Fragile is the only way to describe this complex object.

“The Art of Book Covers: 1820-1914” is a fascinating glimpse into the variety and depth of book cover illustration.

At ASU a “Hayden Library exhibit explores the objectivity of books” through the eyes of their Conservation Lab manager: Suzy Morgan. The exhibit aims to showcase the materiality and the context of the objects instead of the intellectual material they contain on the pages.

Learn more about Anthropodermic Biocodicology (human leather binding) through this podcast and the author of Dark Archives, Megan Rosenbloom.

Oh, the horror! “When book storage is limited, people get desperate. Don’t make the mistakes I did.” AKA How not to store books.

An unusual index of an early modern Spanish collection found among later medieval Icelandic collection in “Book of Lost Books Discovered in Danish Archives.”

Retiring Special Collections and Archivist, BJ Gooch talks about her time at the Library, the preservation challenges, and the foiled heist that became a major motion picture in “Transylvania Special Collections Librarian retires after 26 years of connecting researchers with historical treasures.”

A notable 17th-century friendship book finally rests in its intended home, after disappearing and being consider lost, and then resurfacing through a private sale at Sotheby’s. Read the article to learn more: “German library pays £2.5m for ‘friendship book’, 400 years after it first tried to buy it.”

The ICON Book and Paper Group’s Conservation Together At Home Series is now available online and features intriguing various topics.

The REALM project is an initiative to determine the impact of COVID-19 virus on library and museum materials by OCLC, The Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the non-profit Battelle.

“Erdogan Talks of Making Hagia Sophia a Mosque again to International Dismay.” Current Historic Preservation debate on the status of Hagia Sophia as UNESCO heritage site and a functioning religious site.

“How UK museums are responding to Black Lives Matter.” An article that addresses issues of colonization, racism, and cultural interpretation in collections.

When a library isn’t an applicable physical space, open access is still considered a priority during an emergency such as COVID-19. “Why the National Emergency Library is so Controversial.“

“My Uncle, the Librarian Spy.” In 1943, a Harvard librarian was quietly recruited by the OSS to save the scattered books of Europe.

Sustainability in the 17th century is showcased in “How a trashed Italian Manuscript got sewn into a Sweet Silk Purse.” Find out why religious book pages often were recycled and how the pages got there in the first place!

“A mission for Father Stewart” From Kathmandu to Timbuktu, an American monk travels the world to safeguard invaluable treasure—ancient documents that tell humanity’s story

“Vintage Supplies that Kept Libraries Running” Did you see any of your favorites make the list?

“CONGRESS ALLOCATES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO LIBRARIES IN COVID RELIEF PACKAGE.” The $200 million will primarily fund the Library Services and Technology Act, a program that funds libraries through state grants and connects libraries through state, regional, national, and international networks. States will receive IMLS funds based on population, with a minimum of $2 million per state.

“Book Conservator Nobuo Okano Repairs Tattered Books to Make Them Look Brand New.” In a way only true artisans can, Nobuo’s patience and rigorous dedication to the craft is highly evident in their work.

“Passing Sentences…what’s the worst kind of book thief?” raising the ethical questions around valuing books from the interesting perspective of various book thefts over time and some curious curse to deter medieval book theives.

Restitution success is found in this article “Medieval Manuscript Returns to Ireland After Hundreds of Years in British Hands” about the Book of Lismore, a late-medieval Gaelic text including poetry, hagiography, and the travels of Marco Polo!

All good preservationists know that media obsolescence can be anything from a minor inconvenience to a real danger to loss of information. “Step inside the Museum of Obsolete Library Science” to learn more about just how far we’ve come and think about what might next be on its way out.

After three years of searching, “Rare books stolen in London heist found under floor in Romania“. Valued at over 2.5 million pounds, many argue that books from the heist are of irreplaceable value to modern society.

In an influential move, “[The] Getty announces internship programme to counter lack of diversity in among art conservators.” Conservation isn’t neutral and steps like these help balance the inequity of voices and people in the field.

“Forgery forensics: How the Smithsonian helped identify two stolen Columbus letters.” Paper conservation and digital technologies help to illuminate the history of some mysterious documents.

Being Black in the arts and heritage sector: Paper conservator Ashleigh Brown offers a reflection

ALCTS Preservation Week occurs every year and has a series of FREE resources for promoting Preservation priorities for personal and public collections!

A peek into the Princeton’s Firestone Library Conservation studio and labs: “In this lab, things change to stay the same.“

“How to Make your Clothes Last, Straight from Fashion Museum Conservators” Learn what stories clothes can tell, including their repairs and wear. Pun very much intended.

If you give a kid a cookie, he’ll put it in a book! “Libraries stunned after opening a 500-year-old Tudor manuscript and finding a half-eaten 50-year-old biscuit!”

“Where to go to watch the Paint dry” The ever-developing trend of transparency and awareness of art and object conservation in the public eye and the importance of preserving cultural heritage.

“The Most Expensive Books in the World Ranked” (Disclaimer: Many of these are Western in origin and the list uses auction records for ranking purposes which may be outdated. This list is by no means definitive and highly skewed in demographics due to the use of western auction listings.)

“How the Library of Congress Unrolled a 2,000-Year-Old Buddhist Scroll” and why it took them a year to even start.