The Abbey Newsletter

Volume 10, Number 4
Aug 1986


Literature

Conferences & Professional Publications

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"Reliure au Quebec," by Sün Evrard and Annie Persuy, Art et Metiers du Livre, No. 136, Sept. 1985. This issue also includes a review of the exhibition at the Bibliotheca Wittockiana in Brussels, "Modern British Bookbinding."

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Society of Bookbinders and Book Restorers, Western Region. Newsletter. Vol. 3 #1, Spring 1986, has 10 pages, and gives a lot of information in the usual newsletter departments, including reviews and reports of workshops (with a diagram). Editors/Secretaries are: John Lewis, Chapel Cottage, Clarendon Road, Bath, BA2 4NJ; and Elsi Hamilton, Flat 4, 2 Rockleaze, Sneyd Park, Bristol BS9 1ND, England. J. Brian Edwards, Head of the School of Bookbinding at Brunel Technical College in Bristol, is Regional Chairman.

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A Performance Comparison of Oversewing, PVA Double Fan, and Cleat Laced Bindings, a thesis by Caroline Watson Keens. Available from the Library Binding Institute for $50. 114 pp. This study was described a few years ago in New Library Scene when it was still underway.

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"The Rejuvenation of Machine Book Sewing," by Werner Rebsamen. New Library Scene 4 (4), 17-20, August 1985. Microprocessor controlled book sewing machines are able to give more competition to adhesive binding and publishers are giving more attention to quality in bindings. This article has sections on the history of the process and the sequence of movements of the needles.

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"Endpaper Construction for Recasing," by Werner Rebsamen. NLS 4 (3), 15-18, June 1985. Not up to his usual standard. Six types are described well enough, but the drawings are not clear, chiefly because they do not indicate consistently where parts are joined with an adhesive.

In the same issue: "Music. . . a Binding Challenge," by Ted Honea. The author, who is supervisor of binding and conservation at the Sibley Music Library in Rochester, makes a good contribution to the sparse literature on the special binding needs of music.

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Society of Bookbinders and Book Restorers, North-West Newsletter, [April? 1986] has five pages, reporting the programs of past meetings and announcing a few forthcoming meetings. Overseas membership costs £15, twice as much as it does for U.K. residents.

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Society of Bookbinders and Book Restorers, London and South Region, News Letter No. 17, Spring 1986, has 18 pages and is quite informative. It opens with an editorial on ethics and standards in book conservation, gives a 9-page illustrated report of a Middleton workshop, announces events (exhibitions, retirements, courses) and prints substantive material (instructions on use of heat-set tissue, woodcuts on Japanese hand papermaking with commentary, a list of dealers handling bookbinding books, and "The Book Lover's Litany," all 12 verses). Editor is Robert Akers. For subscriptions write Ken Gostling, 5, Elsworthy, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 OYP.

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Our Memory at Risk: Preserving New York's Unique Research Resources appeared in April in draft form. It is a 71-page assessment of the preservation needs of one state's archives and libraries, partially funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Almost the whole document could be seen as an agenda for the state legislature, which in fact has been supporting preservation recently in an exemplary fashion. Nine issues are seen: 1) identification of unique research resources; 2) education and training; 3) standards and information; 4) disaster preparedness and assistance; 5) public awareness; 6) investigation of needs and options; 7) state assistance; 5) national cooperation and support; and 9) ongoing evaluation and planning. Under each issue are listed several recommendations, each of which clearly identifies the action, initiators and resources necessary. A set of recommendations for independent action by citizens, associations and institutions is given on p. 38-41. The report and recommendations are by the New York Document Conservation Advisory Council, members of which include Cathleen Baker, Paul Banks, Robert Schnare and Richard Strassberg. Larry Hackman of the New York State Archives is co-chair with Roberta Cade of the State Library. A published version of this draft is forthcoming soon.

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Preservation Needs in State Archives. Albany: NAGARA, 1986. Available from National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators, Executive Secretariat, New York State Archives, 10A75 Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230.

This 78-page report is the result of a two-year study carried out for NAGARA by Howard Lowell with a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Ten state archives were visited personally, and the rest were contacted by means of a questionnaire. Data from the questionnaire are summarized in tabular form in the appendix: budget and personnel for the state archives and for preservation; temperature and humidity controls; disaster plan, fire detection and suppression, security system; space; funds required [sic]; holdings, by type; preservation treatments (volumes treated, encapsulations, laminations and sheets deacidified); fumigation records (most did no fumigation); and microform production, inspection and storage. The general picture, from the questionnaire data and f rots the main text, is discouraging. No state has an adequate preservation program. Lowell is clear and convincing, even eloquent, when he describes the problem. He is repetitive, however, and his recommendations for action lack the force they might have if they were written in a more focussed manner. Added Impact might have been gained by typesetting the report in a professional manner and not typing it double-space. However, it has come out at the right time, when the NHPRC is taking serious steps to establish a national historical records program ("Toward a 'National Historical Records Program,"' Annotation, the Newsletter of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, April 1986).

Proposed areas for program development are 1) preservation planning, 2) facilities improvements, 3) staff enhancement, 4) regional conservation centers, 5) reprography, 6) holdings maintenance, 7) research and development, and 7) a staffed Committee for Archives Preservation.

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Illustration

Our collections are in your hands
Metropolitan Toronto Library Conservation Unit

"Our Collections are in Your Hands.. ." is a large poster available from the Metropolitan Toronto Library, Conservation Unit, 789 Yonge St., Toronto, Ont. M4W 2G8, Canada.

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"State of Preservation of the Dead Sea Scrolls," a letter to Nature, 8 May 1986, from T. B. Kahle and Niccolo Caldararo, is a commentary on an article by S. Weiner et al. in Nature 287, p. 820-823, 1980 (six years earlier). Kahle and Caldararo object to the incomplete documentation of the Scrolls' fragments, their condition and history. They provide 17 bibliographic footnotes. Weiner and his co-authors, in their reply, say a thorough study would be useful; that some of the desired information is available; and that "caution must be exercised when correlations between some parchment property and collagen:gelatin proportions and/or D/L ratios are made" as they suggest.

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A. D. Baynes-Cope. The Study and Conservation of Globes. Coronelli Gesellschaft, Vienna [1986?]. Also obtainable from the author at Dawn Cottage, 2 Duke St., Stanton, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk 1P31 2AA, England. 70+ pages. Glossary in German and English. £5 + postage. For the conservator experienced in paper and ethnographic conservation.

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Science and Technology in the Service of Conservation, the preprints of IIC's 1982 Washington Congress, is beck in print. £10/$15 for IIC members, £12.50/$25 others. Order from IIC.

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[Abstracts of papers presented at the] IIC-CG 12th Annual Conference, Winnipeg May 1986. Papers on books and paper were:

Design Considerations for Microprocessor Based Environmental Monitoring and Control Systems, by John Perkins (Parks Canada, Atlantic Region, 1532 Birmingham St., Halifax, Nova Scotia B2Y 2J7). Computer systems are seen as more economical and more affective than manual systems.

Environmentally Controlled Collection Storage at the Provincial Archives of Manitoba: a Case Study, by Jane Dalley (Provincial Archives of Manitoba, 200 Vaughan St., Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 1T5). Their Liebert System III gives computer control and monitoring of humidity and temperature and also filters the air, but is too complicated to reach the high degree of control that is theoretically possible.

The Use of Borohydride Derivatives to Increase the Long-term Stability of Cellulose, by Helen Burgess (CCI, 1030 Innes Road, Ottawa, Ont. K1A 0M8). This is a study of the reversal of oxidative changes in old linen paper by borohydride derivatives.

Iron Stain Removal from a Charcoal Drawing, by Kenneth Lockwood (Metropolitan Toronto Library Board, 509 Queen St. E, Toronto, Ont. M5A 1V1). The complete treatment is described, including iron stain removal with sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium dithionite used together.

The Freezing Process: Effects on Insects and Artifact Materials, by Mary-Lou Florian (British Columbia Provincial Museum, Conservation Division, Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4). This talk was also given at AIC. Among the recommendations are quick freezing and slow thawing; -20°C or colder for at least 48 hours; and an immediate repetition of the freeze-thaw cycle.

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Library Times International, World News Digest of Library and Information Science, published its vol. 3 # 1 in July 1986. The coverage really is world-wide, and includes preservation in its scope. The July 1985 issue included a report on the fire in the National Library of Australia, a Vienna conference on "Durability and Storage of Audiovisual Materials" and a notice on Karl Trobas's book washing machine. $18/year for institutions, $12 for individuals, from LTI, R) Box 375, Oshkosh, WI 54902. Bimonthly; 16 pp/issue.

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Canadian Conservation Institute, Analytical Research Services laboratory. Commercial Product Analytical Reports [looseleaf binder, updated June and December]. About 200 reports,

1975-86. May be borrowed for photocopying from Analytical Research Services, Canadian Conservation Institute, 1030 Innes Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0M8, Canada. The CCI is more generous than any other agency about making the results of their lab tests available. This service is a real boon to conservators and preservation librarians who do not have a research and testing lab in their department; and it is free. Reports identify the material tested by its trade name; give test results; and may summarize professional opinion on the suitability of the material for its intended use. However, the analyses are not comprehensive, but are frequently written in response to a specific question from a conservator about whether a certain component is included. No results of accelerated aging tests are given. Readers should also remember that formulations for sale in Canada may be different, and in any case may be changed without notification by the manufacturer.

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On Picture Varnishes and Their Solvents, by Robert L. Feller, Nathan Stolow and Elizabeth H. Jones, first published in 1959 and revised in 1971, has been revised again and is available either from IIC or AIC for £9/$13.50. This third edition was published in 1985.

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Peter Rohringer, Michael Bernhaim and Dietrich P. Werthemann, "Are So-called Reactive Sizes Really Cellulose Reactive?" Tappi Journal, 68: 83-86, Jan. 1985. For the past 25 years, everyone in the paper industry literature has assumed that alkylketenedimer sizes reacted chemically with cellulose, because they couldn't be extracted with organic solvents. Then someone found that you could get a sizing effect over the whole sheet when you added a small amount of sized fibers to a large amount of unsized fibers in the slurry. The authors reasoned that this could not happen unless it was migrating, and if it was migrating to the unsized fibers, it could not be chemically bonded in the first place. Their work bears this out. (Alkylketenedimers are sizes used to make alkaline paper.)

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Documentation Systems and Their Tasks in the Literary Museums (Documentation and Literary Heritage) [Proceedings of the ICOM International Committee for Literary Museums (ICLM), 7th Annual Meeting, Budapest, 8-12 October 1984] Csilla E. Csorba and Dr. Ernö Taxner, eds. Copies are scarce and available only to members. For membership information write the Chairman of ICLM, Dr. Taxner, at Petöfi Irodalmi Müzeum, Károlyi Mihály u. 16, 1364 Budapest, Hungary. Of its 35 members from 17 countries, only one is from the United States, Milton F. Perry, who is planning a library and bookstore about Jesse James. Examples of literary museums are: the Heinrich Heine Institute, La Maison de Victor Hugo, the Goethe Museum, the Museum for Czech Literature, and the Folger Shakespeare Library. Literary museums cooperate, through ICLM, with museums of the book and with IFLA.

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The AIC Photographic Materials Group will publish in 1986 "a collection of articles on photographic conservation and related subjects, modeled after the successful and popular AIC/ Book and Paper Group (BPG) Annual." Until now, they have made available only the abstracts of papers presented at their winter meeting or the AIC meeting in May.

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Hand Papermaking has appeared. The first issue is for spring, 1986, and is to be published semi-annually from 1503 Crittenden St. NW, Washington, DC 20011, but subscriptions ($10) should be ordered from Hand Papermaking, P0 Box 10571, Minneapolis, MN 55440. Contents:

Papermaking Today in Tibet and China - Elaine Koretsky
New Developments in Nagashizuki - Tim Barrett
The Renaissance of Linen/Flax Paper - Jesse Munn
Featured Paper Sample - Eugenie Barron
Technical Watercolor Studies with Handmade Paper on glass Morse Howell
Casting to Acknowledge the Nature of Paper - Winifred Lutz

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Michael J. Gunn. Manual of Document Microphotography. London and Boston: Focal Press, 1985. [Citation from CAN No. 26]

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"Preservation and Conservation in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin," by Anthony Cains and Paul Sheehan. Int. Libr. Rev. 18: 173-178, 1986. In the absence of a preservation program, the conservator has had to fill in by training bookstack staff, general lectures on care and handling for all staff, provision of book cradles and leaflets on care for readers, filtering UV light, and stack maintenance.

Standards & Practical Guides

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Preparation of Archival Copies of Theses and Dissertations, by Jane Boyd and Don Etherington. 1986. 15 pp. Available for $3.95 from American Library Association, 50 East Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611 (312/944-6780). This guide was prepared as a project of the Physical Quality of Library Materials Committee of PINS, with the intention of having it adopted by as many colleges and universities as possible. An abridged version for students is forthcoming. Sources of acid-free paper for typing, photocopying and getting computer printouts are given at the end. For typing, they recommend Permalife, Perma-Dur, Fox River Bond and Crane's Thesis Bond. For mounting photographs, they recommend dry-mount tissue or Position-able Mount Adhesive, only.

The Art and Architecture Program Committee in the Research Libraries Group (RLG) has already endorsed these Guidelines because they are concerned about preservation of theses in art history.

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NISO will soon revise its standard for permanent paper to cover coated paper. It has started work on a standard for publishers' hardcover bindings.

The Association for Information and Image Management is working on a standard for microphotography of cartographic materials. The 6th draft, June 1986, has a good appendix on preservation of these microforms (p. 51-56 of the draft).

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CRC Handbook of Solubility Parameters and Other Cohesion Parameters, by Allan F. M. Barton. 1983. 608 pp. $109.50. Available from CRC Press, Inc., 2000 Corporate Blvd., N.W., Boca Baton, FL 33431 (305/994-0555). Advertised as the most comprehensive coverage of solubility parameters available.

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Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence: Instruments and Applications. Knox Van Dyke, ed. 2v. v.1, cat. # 5863 HA; 256 pp; $103. v.2, cat. # 5864 HA, 288 pp., $119. 1986. From CRC (above).

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Right to Know: a Guide to Federal and State Programs. [n.d.] Hazardous Materials Information Center, Inter/Face Associates, Inc., 62 Washington St., Middletown, CT 06457. 272 p. $65.

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Michael J. Gunn. Manual of Document Microphotography. London and Boston: Focal Press, 1985. Includes a chapter on care and preservation.

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Philip R. Ward. Getting the Bugs Out (Museum Methods Manual 4). 1977. $4.00 from Queen's Printer, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C. V8V 4R6, Canada.

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NFPA 910, Recommended Practice for the Protection of Libraries and Library Collections. 1985 ed. 24 pp. $10.50 + postage and handling, from National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269 (800/344-3555). Originally published in 1968, this revision is the first in 10 years. It has been adopted by the American National Standards Institute. Fourteen illustrative fires are described, and all aspects of prevention, detection, signaling and extinguishing systems are discussed, as well as salvage of library materials and building inspection.

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The Preservation and Administration of Private Archives: a RAMP Study. 1984. 68 pp. Order from Unesco, 7 place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris, France. It may take them several months to send it, because according to a notice in a recent order for another RAMP study, they have had a "special work overload and a temporary shortage of staff." the author, Rosemary Seton, recommends a program of action on national, regional and international levels to promote both preservation and access. Her recommendations are based on an international survey of nongovernmental archives, and should complement nicely the publications now coming out of recent assessments of conditions in state archives.

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Leonard D. DuBoff, "The IRS Carefully Reviews Attendance at Conventions and Business Seminars," Crafts Report, May 1986. Recommends keeping receipts for expenses over $25 and recording the rest in a diary. Expenses for educational trips can be deducted but their business or educational nature has to be documented. (This article is useful mainly for the self-employed bookbinder or conservator.)

In the same issue: Employers Must Make Performance Evaluations and Tough Decisions," by Darcey M. Spears. Recommendations to make the job easier: 1) use one standard form, 2) meet on a consistent basis, and 3) follow through on what you talk about. The author is the Associate Editor of the Professional Quilter (PD Box 4096, St. Paul, MN 55104).

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Principles for the Preservation and Conservation of Library Materials, by J. M. Dureau and D. W. G. Clements. (IFLA Professional Reports, No. 8) IFLA Section on Conservation, Netherlands Congress Building, the Hague, Netherlands. 1986. This is a revision of the Principles published in the IFLA Journal in 1979 (p. 292-300). It is a great improvement on earlier drafts: the English is improved, many factual errors removed, and preservation as the librarian's responsibility is given much more emphasis. The document needs further revision, however, before it can be used with ease or relied upon with confidence. The English is still rough in places (e.g. paragraph 70); a line of type seems to be missing in para. 34; the title seems to address the needs of all library material, but the text seems to address only the material in rare book rooms and archives (e.g., para. 59: "Ink and pens should not be allowed in reading rooms..."); there are needless repetitions (e.g. paras. 8-9 and 36, and 61 and 67); some of the statements are contrary to well-known research results (e.g. para. 25, which states that low humidity causes leather to lose flexibility and resilience irreversibly); and omission of any mention of sprinklers, the need for quick action to save wet materials before they mold, nontoxic disinfectant procedures, the superior permanence of diazo and vesicular film in the tropics, archival storage of microfilm in sealed bags, or the responsibility of working with the restorer to assure that bibliographical evidence is preserved and sound methods used when a book is restored.

Despite its faults, this edition is now in usable form, and needs to be supplemented by a bibliography (updated frequently) of in-print books to provide more detail for the reader who has only this document to go by. A better idea, but probably impossible, would be to have a textbook published to accompany these principles, and translated into every major language of the world. Supplements could be issued every two years or so to bring it up to date in this fast-moving field.

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Processed Diazo Films--Specifications for Stability (ANSI PH1.60-1985, a revision of the 1979 edition). $8.50 from Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM), 1100 Wayne Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. From the same publisher:

Photography (film)--Processed Vesicular Film--Specifications for Stability (ANSI PH1.67--1985). $8.50

An Introduction to the Preservation of Information on Paper, Film, Magnetic and Optical Media, by John R. White. 2nd ad. a "primer for the nontechnical manager." $11.

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American Institute of Architects Foundation, Architectural Records Management. Prepared by Nancy Carlson Schrock. AIAF, 1735 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20006. 1985. 16 pp. 4 x 8½" $1.00 + $1.50 shipping. This publication cannot be judged by the usual standards. The format is small, and there are not many pages, but this is because it is the distilled essence of preservation for collectors of these records. It is admirably designed and written to appeal to a reading audience of architects who may never have given a thought to preservation before. Section headings:

Why Save Old Records?
Who Wants Old Records?
What Should be Preserved?
What can be Weeded Out?
What can an Individual Architect or Fun Do?
How can Records be Preserved?
When Disaster Strikes
When Records are no Longer Needed
Suggested References
Organizations

Scattered throughout this pamphlet are reproductions of a variety of early records relating to the Statue of Liberty. The typography and layout are esthetically very pleasing.

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Preventive Conservation: a Manual, by Maggie Graham-Bell. British Columbia Museums Association, 609 Superior St., Victoria, B.C. V8V 1Vl, Canada. 76, viii pp. $6.00. Each aspect of museum conservation is covered in a short chapter: Temperature and humidity, handling, etc.; type of artifact or material; natural history collections; and emergency plan. The chapters are too short to cover any of the subjects adequately, and the chapters relevant to library preservation are not very accurate: the air is said to hold more moisture when it is warm because it has expanded; frequent use of saddle soap on harness is recommended paper is said to be made of mulberry leaves; and photographs soaked during a flood are recommended to be kept wet until they can be treated (no time limit is mentioned).

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"Planning for a Conservation Survey," by Barbara Appelbaum and Paul Himmelstein. Museum News. 64: 5-14, Feb. 1986. Although this is a guide for museum curators, it may be useful for people planning surveys of valuable or large collections of any sort, because of the depth of the article.

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Bookworms: the Insect Pests of Books, by Norman Hickin. 1985. $30 from the Spoon River Press, P.O. Box 3635, Peoria, IL 61614. (£15 from Sheppard Press, Europa Publications Ltd., 18 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3JN) 176 pp. The best things about this little book are the illustrations, the international coverage, and the author's expert background. About 180 species are mentioned or covered, and some of them are shown in the 57 drawings. There are almost 30 photographs, many of which show damage to books by particular insects, with details of galleries, chambers and fecal pellets by which the insect may be identified.

Before being sent out to market, the book should have been edited more thoroughly. The plates are not numbered, and do not refer to the pages on which the species is described. The drawings are not always on the sane pages as the description, and do not always give the common mane. The bibliography and the indexes of common names in different languages are good, but the section on control is weak on nonchemical methods, except for a short passage on Yale's deep-freeze method, in which it is implied that the method is used regularly there against all insects. The text is written simply but not well; errors of spelling and grammar have been left in. Rough as it is, this book has something to offer, and should be useful to librarians and archivists who have, or might have, insects in their collections.

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Biological Factors in Deterioration of Paper, by Fausta Gallo. English translation by Susan O'Leary. ICCROM, Rome, 1985. 155 pp. in French and English. 41 plates, showing insect and mold damage, with details of organisms involved; 8 are in color. Topics covered: 1) insects (11 typical species), 2) microorganisms, including bacteria, 3) factors favoring the development of biological agents, and impeding it, 4) criteria to follow in eliminating biological agents. There is a section on each insect order, with tables on morphology and development, including optimal conditions and the length of time they can survive without food or water. Tables also list the favorite foods of eight genera of bacteria and 24 of fungus (e.g. paper, leather, inks and seven other materials). Environmental control (of dust, light, ventilation, temperature, RH, materials used to make and restore books, and furnishings) is stressed as a preventive; treatments are never recommended except when there are active centers of infection or infestation. The agent's effect on man and the materials treated, as well as the effect on the biological agent, should be considered. Gaseous treatment with ethylene oxide, methyl bromide and formaldehyde are approved, if done by qualified technicians.

There is a 24-item bibliography of publications in English, Russian, French, Italian and German; no index. The author is a respected authority in this field, whose work has been largely inaccessible to American readers because of the language in which it was published (Italian). This can be bought for $9 from PRG, 5619 Southampton Dr., Springfield, VA 22151.

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Archive Conservation: Leaf Casting [video]. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF. 14 mm. Available on UMATIC or VHS for £30 prepaid; for other formats, request quotation from Philip Sugg, Film Officer, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Describes use of the Recurator, developed by Esther Boyd-Alkalay.

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Museum & Archival Supplies Handbook, 3rd ad., issued by the Ontario Museum Association and Toronto Area Archivists Group, and published in association with the Getty Conservation Institute in 1985, has been announced twice in this Newsletter before in the last year or so, but it is so good that it deserves further description. In the April issue, it was announced as the second edition, but that was wrong; the second edition was 1979. This publication comes closer than any other to being the Best's Safety Directory of the conservation world, and surpasses it in the amount of information it gives: safety precautions, chemical information, statements that certain materials are no longer recommended (e.g. paradichlorobenzene), definitions of items listed, mode of use, literature references, quotations from the literature, and so on. It even covers microfilm, cameras, storage, service bureaus and standards. Its address list of suppliers, like everyone else's, is partly out of date, and was when it hit the market; but they should have caught the change from NMA to AIIM, which is several years old. "Interleaf" deacidification papers (Vapor-phase deacidification paper or VPD) are mentioned on p. 51 as something "no longer recommended for deacidification treatments. About 400 of the 500 or so suppliers are Canadian.

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"Some Notes & Elementary Procedures for Marbling Paper," by Adam Smith. CBBAG Newsletter 4 (1): 26-29, Spring 1986. Intended as a supplement to standard sources, and a memory aid to those who have done the Guyot workshop.

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Japanese Bookbinding: Instructions from a Master Craftsman, by Kôjirô Ikegami. Adapted by Barbara B. Stephan. New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill, 1986. 127 pp. $29.95. (John Weatherhill, Inc., 6 E. 39th St., New York, NY 10016, 212/686-2857).

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Emergency Guidelines for Harvard Libraries. Harvard University Library, Subcommittee on Emergency Procedures, 1982. 42 p. Looseleaf. Intended as a guide for the 100 libraries on the Harvard campus, so many pages have blank spaces left for recording of specific information such as the names of the library salvage team. Sections listed in contents: Emergency telephone numbers, Introduction, Medical emergencies, Fire, Evacuation, Bomb threat, Problem patrons, Inspection checklist, Flooding and water leaks, and Sources of supplies, equipment and services. There are two salvage plans in the section on flooding, for little and big floods.

These Guidelines are lent or given to other institutions without charge. The authors request only that the source be acknowledged if any parts are copied.

The looseleaf format, but not the content or organization of the Harvard manual, was used in 1984 by the New York University Preservation Committee in its Disaster Plan Workbook, announced in February 1985 in this Newsletter. It is a generalized manual for use by any library, and sells commercially for $10. It emphasizes protection and salvage of materials rather than human safety. It is advertised as "a unique approach to disaster planning in libraries," but perhaps should say "a new approach" or "an unusual approach."

Bibliographies & Other Lists

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For listings of events, classes and suppliers in the book arts, the two best sources are probably the Guild of Book Workers Newsletter and Fine Print II (a supplement to Fine Print). This Newsletter runs only announcements that relate somehow to book and paper conservation in libraries and archives, so has to omit a great deal.

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Reliures et Cartonnages d'Editeurs en France au XIXème Siecle (1815-1865), by Sophie Malavieille. Editions Promodis, 18 rue Dauphine, 75006 Paris, France. Price: FF 450.00. The short review in Do Boekbinder says that this is the first great study of publishers' bindings of the 19th century (perhaps an exaggeration). Mass production techniques are covered.

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Catalogue 79, Books About Books, 500 items; and Catalogue 84, Bookbinding, 389 items. Both from Oak Knoll Books, 214 Delaware St., New Castle, DE 19720 (302/328-7232). Most prices seem to be under $50.

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Designer Bookbinders publications available are listed in the March DB Newsletter. Volumes 1-4 of the New Bookbinder are £8 apiece; Volume 5 is £10.

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Preservation Guidelines: Bibliographies. 2. National Preservation Office, British Library, m.d. 5 pages, 43 items published 1985 or earlier. There are no annotations and no publishers' addresses, which will limit its usefulness; probably the authors expected readers to find the materials in their library, or through interlibrary loan.

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Risk Management for Librarians: a Bibliographical List, by Lorna Peterson. Monticello, Illinois: Vance Bibliographies, 1985. 8 p. The insurance aspects of disaster control.

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Theses and Dissertations in Conservation from United Kingdom Training Institutions. British Museum [1985?]. Available from Peter Winsor, Dept. of Conservation, British Museum, London WC1B 3DG, England. Covers the last 30 years; with subject index. Photocopies or microfiches of most of the titles are available. This publication may have been issued in response to the ICOM Training Group's call for less secrecy and wider distribution of students' papers [AN, Oct. 1984, p. 81].

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"Education Directory." SAA Newsletter, May 1986. CAN says, "Course offerings are listed geographically for the United States and Canada, and include graduate-level multi-course programs and single courses, post-appointment training programs, workshops, institutes, and continuing education programs [for archivists, on all subjects]."

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International Index on Training in the Conservation of Cultural Property, newly revised edition, will be published by ICCROM and the Getty Conservation Institute in the fall.

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Best's Safety Directory. 1986 ed., 2 vols. for $15 + $3 postage and handling. Best's Safety Directory, Sales Dept., A.M. Best Co., Ambest Road, Oldwick, NJ 08858 (201/439-2200). Contains six indexes to help the reader find a safety product by matte, producer, geographical area, type of product and other approaches; resembles a Yellow Pages and a White Pages just for safety. Why is there no such directory for conservation?

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"Occupational Health Clinics," a list arranged alphabetically by state, is on p. 7-8 of the May 1986 AIC Newsletter. For updates and names of individual physicians contact Monona Rossol, President, Center for Occupational Hazards, 5 Beekman St., New York, NY 10038 (212/227-6220).

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American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. [Catalog] ACGIH 6500 Glenway Ave., Bldg. 0-7, Cincinnati, OH 45211-4438. Illustrative titles:

Industrial Ventilation: a Manual of Recommended Practice. 18th ed., 1984. $15.00.

Small Business Health and Safety Guide for Chemical Waste Disposal. $7.50.

Safe Use of Solvents. A. J. Collings and S. G. Luxon, ads. $49.00.

Guidelines for Preparing Proposals, by Roy Meadon. $19.95.

Selected Contents of Significant Publications

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Fine Print, April 1986, is on German book arts. The article on book design in the Federal Republic of Germany mentions the decline in quality of publishers' bindings in paper and printing, but does not mention binding. On p. 110-112, three "treasure houses of the book arts" are described: the Gutenberg Museum, Klingspor Museum and the Herzog August Bibliothek. Christian Zwang, bookbinder of Hamburg and a student under Kurt Londenberg in the 1950s, is the subject of a short article.

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Illinois Libraries 67 (9), Nov. 1985 (Published by the Illinois State Library, Springfield, IL 62756). This is a special issue on new library buildings, with articles on the staff team, the library building consultant, passive solar energy and so on; and a 15-page section containing 15 "planning aids" on lighting, access, selecting an architect and so on, by a Dallas consulting firm. Not very thorough, and not much emphasis on conservation, but in the absence of much other material on this important subject, it may be useful. (Prevention through attention during the planning and construction phases is the only way to deal with certain serious preservation problems--leaks, direct sunlight, and so on.)

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Library Resources & Technical Services 30 (1), January/March 1986, reprints some of the papers from last summer's ALA meeting. Hans-Peter Geh, Director of the Württembergische Landesbibliothek, described the new Preservation and Conservation program of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFIA) and the challenges it faces. It plans to put out a newsletter on preservation, a new directory of facilities for conservation/preservation, a dictionary of conservation terms in five languages, and to encourage the teaching of conservation in existing schools.

Two articles on microfilm stock by Jerry Dupont and Suzanne Cates Dodson do a pretty good job of bringing out the arguments for and against choosing silver halide, diazo or vesicular film. Dodson evaluates particular film stock within each type for permanence and durability: Xidex DEH (diazo), for instance, takes six times as long to fade under the light of a microfilm reader as Bexford 2DP21 (diazo), at the other end of the continuum; and the only vesicular film at this time durable above 167°F is Xidex XRPG.

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