Deferred binding of paperbacks

My one major experience with someone who is binding paperbacks before
they circulate is the Wellesley Free Library, Wellesley, MA.  They bind
their "good" quality paperbacks in a lighter weight buckram and have the
covers put back on the outside for looks.  they have found that they
last MUCH longer, are a stronger binding and resist distortion better.
N.B.  Through a preservation program at that library their distortion %
for their adult fiction collection dropped from about 70-80% to 40% in
five years.  The other three libraries participating in a recent
collections condition survey (public libraries) had distortion rates
between 70-90% in their fiction collection.

One thing to consider also is that some of the other books needing
binding may actually be too brittle, etc. to survive.  What are you
doing about preventative preservation/mending such as hinge tightening,
etc.

For more specifics on the Wellesley Study where the data really shows
the benefits of a preventative preservation program in a public
library/circulating collection, contact me or Anne Reynolds, Director of
the Wellesley Free Library at (617) 235-6430.

Gregor Trinkaus-Randall
Collection Management/Preservation Specialist
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
648 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02215-2070
617-267-9400
Fax: 617-421-9833

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 7:40
               Distributed: Wednesday, November 17, 1993
                        Message Id: cdl-7-40-002
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