An unexpected find…whether it was set aside for the Elite 8 game, or finals, it’s unclear who stashed their party supplies here. One thing we can say, microfilm storage also works for beer cans. Who knew?
Oh the Things We Find in the Stacks
All posts by Beth Doyle
Quick Pic: Best Apology Note Ever
This book recently came down from Circulation. It was out on interlibrary loan, and came back with a cut front cover. The apology note, in the shape of a cat head with a head of lettuce, is now our favorite thing we have found in a book outside of the famous banana.
We appreciate our colleague’s very apologetic, and very funny note. Our new student assistant just learned how to mend paper tears. This will be one of the first books that she repairs with that new skill set.
New tables, less back ache!
We love getting new equipment for our work areas. In the past month, we have upgraded to sit-stand tables for two shared work areas. We are thrilled to present our new “Conservation Station” at Smith Warehouse. This space allows our shelf preparation work to be co-located with acquisitions and cataloging. By moving these workflows to Smith, we anticipate a quicker turnaround from shelf-prep to shelf. This table was a hand-me-down from another department, and we are thrilled to have it.
Over in the conservation lab we have upgraded from an older desk-height table to an Uplift sit-to-stand table. This table is in the “dirty room” where we do all of our solvent and mold removal work. The desk is chair-height and difficult to work on for any length of time.
Our new table has a lot of “bells and whistles” the old table does not. It can adjust from 25″ to 51″ in height, it has locking wheels, and a solid top. We can move this table into the lab when we need added table space, something that was impossible with the old table.
We really like the Uplift brand desk. The best part is the desks come with the choice of free accessories. We chose the clamp-on punching bag. Yes, it does work and yes, it is fun! Thanks to our generous Adopt-a-Book donors, we were able to purchase this table and have it customized to fit our needs.
Both tables improve the ergonomics of our work. They also provide flexible space options for when things get really big.
Preservation Week: A day in the life, Friday
Welcome to Day 5 of Preservation Week 2025! To see other posts in this series, follow these links:
Day 1: Curatorial meetings
Day 2: Presenting our HVAC pilot project
Day 3: Using UV light to analyze materials
Day 4: Discovering details in book bindings
To end preservation week we are going on a field trip to pick up materials and process them into our workflows. Our first stop is the library’s shelving unit where the staff have set aside damaged materials for us.
Our next stop is Circulation on the first floor. Front line workers are often the first to see damaged books.
When we get back to the lab, we scan items into our library tracking system called Alma. When we scan an item in, it changes the location and availability so that everyone knows where the book is in case it is requested by a patron. We scan items when they come in, and when they leave the lab.
Shipping brings us materials from the East Campus Libraries and from Collections Services. We evaluate each item’s needs and sort them into our workflow by type of repair or housing they need.
When work is finished, we often have to order shelf labels from Collections Services. When they arrive, we carefully match the barcode on the label with the barcode on the item.
Once everything is labeled, we sort the finished materials by location and send them out.
A week in the life of Conservation is rarely boring. I hope you enjoyed coming along with us on our Preservation Week journey!
Preservation Week 2025: A Day in the Life, Tuesday
Welcome to Day 2 of Preservation Week 2025! To see other posts in this series, follow these links:
Day 1: Curatorial meetings
Day 2: Presenting our HVAC pilot project
Day 3: Using UV light to analyze materials
Day 4: Discovering details in book bindings
Day 5: Field trip! Gathering damaged books from Circulation points
Last year, in response to the Duke Climate Commitment, we tested an overnight HVAC shutdown pilot project during the winter months in the circulating collections. We wanted to see if the University could reduce its carbon footprint while maintaining adequate environmental conditions our collections. We worked closely with Duke Facilities to determine how to implement this program. You might recall at the beginning of the project we placed an Onset HOBO MX1101 datalogger inside a discarded book to see how it responded to changes in temperature and humidity in the stacks during the HVAC shutdown project.
We noticed some curious readings and decided that the amount of hollowed-out material likely affected the way the text block reacted to changes in humidity and temperature. This winter we created a second test book but this time we used a probe-style Onset HOBO 2302 datalogger. Our working theory was that a smaller hole in the middle of the book would give us better data.
I grabbed a book from the discard pile and started cutting. Once I hollowed out a space for the probe, I created an Ethafoam plug to minimize air filtration at the fore edge.
The books were placed side by side on the shelf with books on either side to ensure they stayed closed. This area of the stacks contain mobile shelving, which are opened and closed regularly as patrons use the aisle.
I looked at the last 30 days of data from this datalogger in preparation for a talk about this project at the State Energy Conference today. You can see the old book (blue line) vs. the new book (green line) both react slowly to changing conditions. However, you can also clearly see the book with the smaller hole is reacting more slowly to changes in humidity (temperatures remain very stable). Both books are slower to react to ambient rH conditions. But you can definitely see a difference between the two books, which I think is at least partially due to the amount of material excavated from the center of the book.
Tom Young, Critical Systems Controls Engineer in Duke Facilities Management, and I are excited to share our findings with the conference attendees today. Spoiler alert: the energy savings were substantial and the books are fine.
Quick Pic: What’s in the lab?
January is the Schrödinger’s Cat of months. It goes by quickly, and drags on and on.
Happy New Year to all our followers!
Quick Pic: Current Mood
Quick Pic: Marginalia War
We see a lot of underlining, highlighting, and writing in our returned library materials. Most times it is sad to see defaced books that make the content hard to read for the next patron. Sometimes it makes you smile.
Job Opening: Duke Libraries Senior Conservation Technician
Duke University Libraries is seeking applicants for Senior Conservation Technician in the Verne and Tanya Roberts Conservation Lab. Come join our team!
As Senior Conservation Technician you will:
- Carry out basic, intermediate, and advanced repairs primarily on circulating collection materials.
- Construct custom enclosures for library materials from circulating and special collections.
- Prepare items for the shelf including binding pamphlets, inserting loose materials, making pockets, etc.
- Retrieve and triage materials from circulation points across the library system.
- Manage lab spaces and equipment.
- Manage student assistants including assisting in the hiring, interviewing, training, and quality control of their work.
- Contribute to outreach initiatives including writing for our blog.
The job announcement outlines further job responsibilities and the application requirements: https://library.duke.edu/about/jobs/srconservationtechnician
Applicants invited for an interview will be expected to present a portfolio of work.
You will succeed in this role with these skills and abilities:
- Demonstrated knowledge of book repair techniques for 19th and 20th Century library materials, including books bound in cloth, leather, and paper.
- Demonstrated knowledge of the construction of a variety of custom enclosures for library materials.
- Capable of managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Detail oriented with good problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Ability to teach basic conservation skills to student assistants with little or no conservation experience.
Salary and Benefits
Salary dependent on qualifications and experience; anticipated salary range $50,000-$60,000. Comprehensive benefits package includes 15 days vacation, 14 holidays, 12 days sick leave; health, dental, disability and life insurance and support for professional development and training.
About us:
The Duke University Libraries are the center of intellectual life at Duke, one of the most highly ranked private universities in the nation. The William R. Perkins Library, Bostock Library, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, and von der Heyden Pavilion comprise the university’s main library complex, which is joined on East Campus by the Lilly and Music Libraries, and by the Pearse Memorial Library at the Duke Marine Lab. Together with the separately administered libraries serving the schools of Business, Divinity, Law, and Medicine, they comprise one of the country’s top 10 private research library systems. Consistently recognized as a great place to work, we strive to provide an inclusive, safe, and welcoming environment with equitable support for all people.
More information about the Duke Libraries and the Verne and Tanya Roberts Conservation Lab can be found here:
Where Curiosity Leads, the Duke University Libraries Strategic Plan, 2024-2029
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Duke University Libraries
Duke Libraries Conservation Services Department
More about Duke and Durham:
Located halfway between the Great Smoky Mountains and the beaches of the Atlantic, Durham is home to hundreds of restaurants, more than 40 annual festivals, Duke and North Carolina Central universities, art and science museums, world-class medical facilities, and a rapidly growing, richly diverse population. One of three cities that make up North Carolina’s Research Triangle, Durham is known as a vibrant hub for innovation and technology, as well as an incubator of many successful start-ups. It is consistently ranked among the best places to live, do business, and retire. Learn more at https://durham.duke.edu/.
Duke University consistently ranks among the best employers in the country. Duke offers a comprehensive benefit packages which includes both traditional benefits such as health insurance, leave time and retirement, as well as wide ranging work/life and cultural benefits. Details can be found at: http://www.hr.duke.edu/benefits/duke_benefits.html .
To learn more or to apply, please go to:
https://library.duke.edu/about/jobs/srconservationtechnician
Quick Pic: Remove If You Need To
General Collections conservation is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get from Circulation. Lucky for us, this gentle reader only got through a couple chapters, not the whole text. We’ll take this over highlighting or underlining any day.
