Identifying damage to book

Ian Bogus <imbogus [at] rci__rutgers__edu>

>This is not the first time I have noticed what appears to be some
>sort of chemical burn on the books in our collection.

I have seen this kind of damaged caused by high concentrations of
bleach (highly alkaline). Does the book have a particular odor? In
terms of spreading, it is possible that the damage could affect
adjacent items.

My recommendation would be to have the cover removed and the book
sent to a library binder for recasing. Trimming the fore-edge would
clean up the damage there, but it is possible that the substance has
seeped further into the textblock and that this will continue to be
a vulnerable area. Depending on the actual substance on the book
there could be a risk to users/staff so wearing gloves would be
prudent. If there are real concerns about the substance, replace the
copy.

Peter D. Verheyen
Special Collections Preservation and Access Librarian / Conservator
Syracuse University Library
Syracuse, NY 13244
315-443-9756
315-443-9937 - Conservation Lab


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:26
                Distributed: Saturday, November 19, 2005
                       Message Id: cdl-19-26-010
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