Brittle book repair

[Janice C Mohlhenrich <jmohlhe@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello all,

Here at Emory our practice concerning brittle books has been to seek
replacements, build enclosures or to reformat through preservation
microfilming or preservation photocopying.  We have not done any repairs
due to concern with creating additional damage, and due to the time and
expense involved in working with these fragile materials.

Many volumes in our theology library are brittle, difficult to replace,
and still in demand by library users.  Library staff would like for us to
perform some book repair treatments on these volumes, sufficient to give
perhaps 5-10 years of useability.  Heavy use is not predicted for these
materials.

Our conservator is resistant to doing "bad repairs."  As preservation
officer I agree, but also want to offer the best possible service in a
"real world" situation where best practice may not result in the desired
ends.

How are other libraries handling this?  Do you do any repair treatments to
brittle volumes?  What is your rationale for repairing, or for not
repairing these materials?  Is there a reasonable compromise solution that
will extend the life of these materials?

I'd appreciate your perspective on this problem.

Thanks you,

Janice Mohlhenrich
Coordinator, Preservation Initiatives & Services
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
404-727-2437
jmohlhe@xxxxxxxxx