Cradle Boxing Day

Last month, Senior Conservator Erin Hammeke shared her treatment of a caoutchouc binding, which incorporated a clamshell enclosure with integrated cradle. There are many items in the collection that can benefit from an enclosure like this (henceforth referred to simply as a “cradle box”): books which require a restricted opening to reduce the risk of further … Continue reading Cradle Boxing Day

Happy 11th Birthday, Preservation Underground!

On this day in 2009 our blog was born! Looking back, we have accomplished quite a lot here over those 11 years. We are rapidly approaching our 500th post. It seemed fitting to celebrate by highlighting our eleven most popular stories or “quick pics” from the lab: 1. Working From Home Options for Conservation Labs … Continue reading Happy 11th Birthday, Preservation Underground!

1091 Project: A Day In The Life Of The Conservation Lab

Welcome to our first 1091 Project post, a new effort in collaborative blogging! 1,091 is the number of miles between Ames, Iowa and Durham, North Carolina. Ames is the home of Iowa State University and our colleagues who write Parks Library Preservation. On the third Friday of each month, we will pick a topic and … Continue reading 1091 Project: A Day In The Life Of The Conservation Lab

Hold me closer… protective enclosure.

As evidenced by the archives from the tag “Boxing Day“, we make a lot of boxes in the lab. Some objects require specific enclosures and we have many materials and techniques at our disposal for fulfilling the needs of the object. Of particular interest to me lately have been enclosures appropriate for parchment over boards bindings, which include some … Continue reading Hold me closer… protective enclosure.

When Halloween Is Like A Box of Chocolates

We love getting Boxing Day books from Rubenstein Library Technical Services, especially pulps from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. When you open the crate, you never know what you are going to get.  Today the crate was filled with Horror! Fantasy! Choose your own adventure tales! All with some pretty amazing cover art. Happy Halloween! … Continue reading When Halloween Is Like A Box of Chocolates