All posts by Beth Doyle

Edible Book Festival

The Worst Picture of Me

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I tend to look awkward in photos, like this one from Edible Book Festival IV (2009), that’s me on the right. I thought I would embrace my penchant for knowing exactly when to look ridiculous and share this image as a way of reminding you that we are just a couple weeks away from EBF-VI.

We will once again be holding a silent auction of each entry, with the proceeds to benefit the DUL Memorial Fund in memory of Helene Baumann. Bring your competitive spirit and start a bidding war for that incredible chocolate concoction that may or may not look like a damp squid.

You will also get to vote for your favorite entries in each of six categories: most edible, least edible, punniest, best student entry, most book-like (the item that looks most like an actual, physical book), and best in show. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of each category.

Join us on April 1st, 2012, at 2pm in the Gothic Reading Room in Perkins Library. If you have an edible entry, please bring it to the Gothic at 1:30 so we can get you checked in and take a photo of your entry for our Flickr page. Refreshments will be served.

P.S. If you haven’t yet, please take our survey by clicking on the orange button on the right. We are collecting information from our readers so that we can make our blogs better and more informative. It won’t take long, just five easy questions. Thanks!

What We Find In Books

What the…??

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This DIY book repair came to the lab today. I believe that the patron was just trying to keep the pieces together. At least, I want to believe that they were trying to help…but wrapping the whole book with duct tape? Three times? With duct tape? *sigh*

Accidents happen, angry dogs happen, things break. It’s OK, we understand. We also have people who specialize in repairing library books. Next time, dear patron, just put it in a zip-top bag and bring it in, we know what to do.

P.S. If you haven’t done so already, please take our opinion poll. Your input is appreciated. Click on the big orange button to the right to get started. Thanks!

Announcements

Change Blog Readers Can Believe In (Take Our Poll)

We’re librarians: we like information. For the next three weeks, Preservation Underground will be gathering information from you, our reader, in our first-ever feedback poll!

This is your chance to tell us a little bit about your blog-reading habits and what you’d like to see when you visit Preservation Underground. In the sidebar you’ll see a link to our short, five-question poll, and we hope you’ll take a few minutes to help us learn how to create a better, more informative blog. Of course, your responses and comments will be submitted anonymously, so click away!

We’ll be gathering responses through Friday, April 15th, and we’ll be sure to let you know what we’ve learned once the results are tabulated.

All of the other Duke University Libraries blogs will be running the exact same poll, so head over to the other blogs that you read and leave some feedback for them, too.

Thanks!

Image from the Ad Access online collection.

Edible Book Festival

Edible Book Festival VI (April 1, 2011)

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April 1, 2011 – Gothic Reading Room (Perkins Library), 2-3:30pm
Duke Libraries

The International Edible Book Festival is a yearly event held on or about April 1. Since 1999 bookbinders and bibliophiles have been creating books made of edible materials for everyone to enjoy.

The only rule? Make edible art that has something to do with books as shapes or content. Information and inspiration can be found on the Festival’s home page at www.Books2Eat.com.

You do not need to enter an edible book to attend our event. Festivities will include not only edible books but refreshments you will actually want to consume and voting for your favorite entries in several categories. We will also hold a silent auction for those of you wishing to support the Duke University Libraries Memorial Fund (Helene Baumann) by purchasing a unique object.

For more information or to participate in this year’s festival please contact: Beth Doyle, Head of Conservation Services Dept., or call the Conservation Lab at 919-660-5906. Entries must be delivered to the Gothic Reading Room no later than 1:30 p.m. on April 1, 2011.

Images from past EBF’s can be found on our Flickr site. Bon Appetit and Happy Binding!

Collaboration, Conservation, Digital Production Center, Digitizing

Learning On The Job

Recently Alex from the Digital Production Center came by to ask if I could fix a cassette tape. The tape broke while they were digitizing it, and they just needed it to hold together long enough to record Side B. I know a lot about the chemical and physical make-up of magnetic tapes, but I have never had to actually fix one before.

Librarian skills activate! I searched the professional literature and the internet to no avail. There are a lot of DIY articles on the web, but we try to hold ourselves to a higher standard in our lab whenever possible. I finally called a friend who actually does this for a living.

Hannah Frost, Manager of the Stanford University Media Preservation Lab, walked me through how to repair the tape and assured me that I had the skills necessary to do it correctly. In the end the repair took less than ten minutes, and now I know how to do this the next time it happens.

The thing about working in a library is that we collect everything from the usual stuff like paper and skins but we also have poison arrows, glass plate negatives, hair, textiles, paintings, glass eyeballs and magnetic media. I can’t tell you how important it is for a library conservator to create a large network of friends and colleagues who specialize in areas that are not your own. Sooner or later you will find yourself working on something completely different and unknown, and you need to know who to call. Thanks Hannah, I owe you a drink at the next AIC conference.

Collaboration, Conservation, Digital Production Center, Digitizing, Preservation, Videos

Building the Broadside Digital Collection

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We are currently digitizing our broadside collection. Before they go to the Digital Production Center, Conservation must prepare them by removing the old encapsulations and making sure they can be handled. There is additional information on this project over at the Digital Collections Blog.

Building the Broadsides Collection, Pt. 1

Building the Broadsides Collection, A large-scale digitization approach

Wow! This Job Sure Keeps Us Hopping

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heo_NcFnnfY

Exhibits

Mixed Blood: Conservation Work and Decision-Making in Support of the Study of Racial History

Curated by Mary Yordy, this exhibit highlights materials held by the Duke University Libraries pertaining to the study of mixed racial heritage. Crossing multiple disciplines and reflecting cultural influences that are international in scope, items from these collections are used heavily and frequently by students, faculty, and scholars.  Within this exhibit, the materials show the necessity of conservation work and preservation care to ensure the long term use and availability for future scholars.  Located in Perkins LL1, outside Room 023.

(Displayed February 2010 – April 2010)

Edible Book Festival

5th Annual Edible Book Festival (2010)

At our 5th Annual EBF we raised $649 for the DUL Memorial Fund (Helene Baumann Fund) through the silent auction and additional donations. A big thank you to everyone for attending and for making some great entries, and thanks to Mark Zupan for the images. Photos from the event are on our Flickr site. We look forward to seeing you next year!

Winners by Popular Vote

Punniest Entry: Jack and the Beans-Talk! (Meg Brown)

Best Book Structure: Tie between Scarlet Pumpernickel (Erin Hammeke) and Books With Scallion Staples (Rachel Ingold)

Most Edible: All Creatures Great and Small (Beth Doyle)

Least Edible: Damp Squid (Beth Doyle)

Favorite Overall: In Defense of Food (Amy and David Turner)

Best Student Entry:  Tie between The Three Golden Keys (Liam Brown) and Mistletoe and the Three Kittens (Eddie Brown).

Most Votes Across All Categories: Mistletoe and the Three Kittens (Liam Brown)