[PADG:156] Re: Permanent bookplates

[Shannon Zachary <szachary@xxxxxxxxx>]

Sharon,

We are in the process of revising our bookplates as well. I am also
interested to hear what solutions others have developed.

At present I'm looking at the following: have a printer print up (in
color) generic bookplates. The printer will lay out six or eight
bookplates to fit on an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper with crop marks as
guides for trim for each plate. At the library we can fill in specific
information ("Gift of John Q. Donor") on a template using PageMaker and
print out on a laser printer in black only. Library staff trim the plate
to size and apply it to the book. Drawbacks to this system: wasted plates
when you have to put a whole sheet through the printer but need only one
or two bookplates; and the need for library staff to trim (neatly!) the
plates.

Other options we've considered:

1. Start with the plates trimmed to size (the small sheets of paper jam in
a regular printer)

2. Use a label printer (these seem to require manufacturer provided paper
on rolls; we can't use our choice of quality and color of paper)

3. Use peel and stick label stock (unacceptable for special collections
and not much desired for general collections because of the difficulty of
removing the label)

4. Use a typewriter to print the donor's name onto a pre-printed label
(what we do now and are trying to move away from--our development office
considers typewritten names a bit tacky).

Are there other ways libraries are generating bookplates?

Shannon Zachary, Head, Conservation Services
Preservation Division, University Library
The University of Michigan
837 Greene St. / 3202 Buhr Bldg.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1048
Phone: 734/763-6980 Fax: 734/763-7886
email: szachary@xxxxxxxxx