Bookbinding and tight budgets

We received four answers to our query, which I summarize for the list.

1. Do you send all new acquisitions to the bindings (periodicals and
monographs)

    Two libraries do it ; another reinforce paperbacks.

2. Do you bind only damaged books, as well new acquisitions, and in
which proportions?

    One library says binding 90 % new acquisitions, and 10 % damaged
    books ; another respectively 60 % and 40 %, as well commercially as
    in-house; two others do bind only damaged books, periodicals being
    their priority.

3. Which part of the acquisition budget of your library is devoted to
binding?

    For two libraries the binding budget is about 10 % of the budget ;
    it may be part of the Collection resource budget, the Preservation
    department budget or the Material budget.

Is the percentage sufficient?

    It is insufficient for two libraries.

Which percentage would you like to have?

    A library would like to have 13 % instead of 11.

4. If the binding budget is to short, what are the volumes that you
would bind in priority ? On which criterion ? (for instance number of
copies, condition of the paper, use life, literary classical texts,
reference books, etc.)

    The criteria mentioned are : importance, heavy use, poor condition
    of material, and for two libraries periodicals are the priority.

5. What do you do with the damaged books that you cannot repair and bind
? Do you throw them away? If so, do you make a copy ? (photocopy,
microfilm, CD-Rom)? Do you store them in closed stocks? Other solutions?

    Little used material may be withdrawn or placed in boxes ; important
    material may be placed in boxes, reordered if still in print, placed
    in a limited access collection (if rare or of local interest),
    replaced by another edition or a similar subject, rarely
    photocopied.

6. In case of a lack of credits, who decides which books are to be bound
in priority : a special librarian, the Head of the binding department,
other?

    It's the head of the preservation department together with the
    subject bibliographers.

7. Within the total amount of binding which is the part of the
periodicals, which is the part of the monographs?

    For two libraries, 80 % for the periodicals and 20 % for the
        monographs ;
    for another 52 and 48 % respectively ;
    for a last, 62 %, 35 % respectively plus 3 % for boxes.

Finally, a message suggested us that the binding budget problems
encountered here in Europe would be caused by the common
disproportionate expense for library binding (about 35 $ per volume in
Europe for what would cost about 5-10$ in the States).  Also to
encourage the binding industry in implementing more automated processes,
The Bibliotheque de France is organizing an international conference to
be held in Paris in October 1993 (contact Jean-Paul Oddos, Library
Science Department, Bibliotheque de France, 1 Pl. Valhubert, 75013
Paris, phone 4406 0121).

Thank you to all who have responded  and I wish everybody a HAPPY NEW YEAR

J. Antille, Librarian
Bibliotheque cantonale et universitaire
CH - 1015 Lausanne-Dorigny
Switzerland

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 6:34
                  Distributed: Sunday, January 3, 1993
                        Message Id: cdl-6-34-013
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