Ledgers

I am a project archivist processing a banking collection containing
more than 1200 bank ledgers.  As part of our preservation strategy,
we are vacuuming and boxing all of the ledgers and needed to unbind
many of them when their existing metal binding prevented them from
fitting in boxes of 6 1/2 inches or less in depth.  Many have long
metal spikes that jut several inches above the tops of the books
making them difficult to handle.

My inquiry involves a very small handful of ledgers that we cannot
unbind because the metal bindings are rusted or simply too tight to
turn even with standard types of tools.  For example, one has very
tall, rusted spikes, another has screws holding the binding together
that will not budge.  I wondered if anyone had experience in these
types of matters that they could share.  Has anyone cut down metal
spikes that bind ledgers or used a relatively innocuous spray that
might force the screws to turn?

Jodi Boyle
Special Collections Department
George Washington University
Melvin Gelman Library
2130 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20052
202-994-1371


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:43
               Distributed: Wednesday, February 13, 2008
                       Message Id: cdl-21-43-020
                                  ***