Volume 13, Number 7
Nov 1989

Editor's Page

Corrections

• The Art Conservation Department is at Buffalo State College, not Buffalo State University, as stated in an earlier issue.
• Notices about book photocopying services were published in this Newsletter volume, on p. 37 and 76, but the telephone number for the University of Minnesota Bindery was wrong in both places and the zip was wrong in one. It should he: 612/626-1516 and 55414.

  Also, one service was omitted: Karen Reilly, Northern Archival Copy, 4730 Lorinda Dr., Shoreview, MN 55126 (612/ 483-9346).

• On p. 83, the author's position was omitted. Hilary A. Kaplan was, at the time of publication, the Head, Conservation Department for the Emory University Libraries.
• In the October issue, there are two corrections on p. 108. In the last paragraph of the AIC meeting report, it is not correct to say that no research has been done on the mixing of adhesives, because there have been numerous studies on certain mixtures of adhesives. When I meant to convey was that the warning often given to bookbinders, that one should never mix adhesives because they interfere with each other' s effectiveness, appears to have no research to back it up. Mixing, in principle, is represented as bad, though exceptions might be admitted.

  On the same page, the impression is given that Tim Barrett uses alum 5% on the weight of the fiber, or in the slurry. As I recall, this was on the dry weight of the gelatin sizing, and he uses 2-5% alum in the sizing. Gelatin tends to minimize the degrading action of the alum, so permanence is affected very little, if at all.

• On p. 110, in the notice beginning "Foxingflecken.. .", the name should be Henk J. Porck. The reference should be: Restauro 3, 1989, p. 225-233.

pH Pens Available From The Office

Felt-tip pens filled with chlorophenol red, for testing whether paper is acidic or alkaline, are available from the Newsletter office for $2 apiece, in any quantity. Since August 1, these pens have used reservoirs of polyester fiber, which is chemically stable and will not affect the pH of the indicator fluid. (Replacement reservoirs are available for pens bought before that time.) The pens are assembled by hand, now, but before long our order of preassembled pens should be ready, which will allow us to make them available through retail and mail-order suppliers. An information sheet and test papers chemically buffered to pH 7.0 and either 6.5 or 6.0 are sent out with the pens.

A Thank You To Supporters

Although the subscription price for the Newsletter is high, additional support has been sought for 1988 and 1989 to meet the expenses of Abbey Publications, which is now a full-time, nonsubsidized operation. The activities of the corporation go beyond issuing two newsletters. Some of them, like the pH pens, are starting to bring in money; others involve direct or indirect expenditures, but are central to the mission of the corporation, so they cannot easily be discontinued. They include active involvement in the field (organizing meetings, attending local meetings, serving on selected committees and advisory boards); disseminating information on request by mail and telephone; writing articles about alkaline paper for other publications; and studying papermaking and other topics covered in the two newsletters. A good many handouts and lists (such as the lists of alkaline paper mentioned in the Literature section) are compiled for mailing out, that have not yet been listed in this Newsletter after their first mention.

The subscription count for both newsletters is increasing, and one day it may be high enough to enable Abbey Publications, Inc., to disseminate funds to worthy recipients instead of soliciting them. Right now, we are breaking even--that is, there is enough in the bank to give full refunds to everyone if publication had to stop tomorrow.

This year, $1691 has been received in contributions. The Editor and Trustees acknowledge with gratitude recent donations from Bookbinder's Warehouse (Corporate Patron), Nancy Schrock (Patron) and Ralph Ocker (Sustaining Subscriber).

Single-Subject Compilations Are Available

Excerpts of all sorts (news items, literature references, and so on) from back issues of the Abbey Newsletter going back in some cases to 1978, are regularly cut and pasted (the old fashioned way--not with the Mac) into what we call "compilations" and offered for sale at modest prices ($5-$10). They are ideal for people who need to catch up on a particular subject and don't have the time or money to plow through the back issues. Subjects covered include:

A price list will be sent on request.

The Abbey Newsletter: Bookbinding and Conservation is issued eight times a year and has about 1200 subscribers. New subscribers automatically receive all issues published in the current year, unless they request otherwise. All subscriptions expire on the last day of the year. Checks may be made out in dollars or pounds, payable to Abbey Publications; send to 320 E. Center, Provo, UT 84606 (801/373-1598).

Paid advertisements, except for job ads, are not accepted. Job ads cost $50 for the heading and first 10 lines; $2 per line after that. Under certain conditions the charge is waived.

Any notice that is appropriate and newsworthy will be printed if there is room for it. Written contributions and bits of news are welcome. Claims for issues never received will be honored within a year of publication. A complete list of back issues is available.

The Abbey Newsletter is selectively indexed in Art & Archaeology Technical Abstracts, the Institute of Paper Science & Technology Abstract Bulletin, and Graphic Arts Literature Abstracts. All issues but v.1 #2 are in print, and each volume has its own index.

The Editor encourages readers to photocopy freely from the Newsletter; but before making more than 20 copies of any part, permission must be obtained from the Editor.

Abbey Publications is a nonprofit tax-exempt corporation (tax ID #87-0436104). Its other publication is Alkaline Paper Advocate.