Sad balloons. Thanks to the Staff Recognition Committee for brightening our day last week. The bonus? we now have a new, light weight for use in the lab. Anyone want to donate their balloon weight to the lab? if so, send it downstairs.
Our pals over at Devil’s Tale also posted their balloon bouquet!
We just got ballooned!
This book was sent down to Conservation for an enclosure. Inside were many, many pressed leaves and bits of ferns. We couldn’t leave them in the text as they were staining the paper, but we were hesitant to just remove them due to their provenance. Jennifer devised this clever solution to removing the leaves but saving the information about where they were in the book.
Each set of leaves was encapsulated with a tag that says where in the book they were found. The set of encapsulations are inside a small folder, and both the folder and book are inside a beautiful new box.
For more images from the Conservation lab, visit our Flickr site.
Removing prior repairs is one of those topics that elicits a lot of opinions from conservators (get four conservators around a table and you will have six opinions on the matter).
As often is the case, my answer to removing a prior repair is usually “it depends.” Is the repair damaging the item or simply aesthetically a mess? How damaging would the removal be and how much more damage are you willing to incur to remove it? What is the value and use of the item and how do these weigh with the physical risk to the item that the repair or its removal pose?
Do you hate it because it is just ugly? is that enough reason to remove it? If it is functioning but ugly, can you live with it?
I found this item in our stacks today. We must remember that not all items in our special collections started out as “special,” many started in the general collections and old-style repairs were not always aesthetically pleasing or reversable (things we strive for now). I suspect this may be the case for this particular item.
What I hate about this repair is that the black book tape is downright ugly. What I love about it is that the person who did it cared enough to write in the part of the title that was covered by the book tape. This is one we probably wouldn’t remove unless we had a better reason than “it’s ugly.” But then again…
Thanks to Noah Huffman for the image as I was caught without my camera in the stacks.
By Grace White
“Tools of Conservation” showcases some of the tools we use in book and paper conservation. Small items such as scalpels, brushes and bone folders are displayed, as well as materials like Japanese paper and sewing threads. It would have been impossible to fit a full size press in the display case, so a miniature version is presented alongside some tiny creations (since I love miniatures). A digital display lets viewers see the tools in use.
Reviews so far have been positive, including “They look like medieval torture instruments!”
The exhibit is open during regular Perkins/Bostock hours. We are located on the Lower Level (same level as the Link), by Perkins Room 023. Come and have a look!
What does it take to flatten photographs that are three or four feet long? A lot of press boards, bricks and weights, and an entire table.
A couple of weeks ago we got a box from Technical Services labeled “tobacco samples.” Obviously, these needed something more than Zip Loc bags before going to the shelf.
Still riding the success of boxing the Blue Devil, I got out the CoLibri pockets and enclosed each sample in a pouch. Then I made a blue-corrugated tray with multiple compartments to contain the various packages of tobacco.
The result: the tobacco is contained but accessible for viewing without all of the loose tobacco getting everywhere. The CoLibri pouches can be easily removed if we want to exhibit these items in the future, which was a concern for the archivists. Overall, I think this was another successful non-traditional use of CoLibri.
The Lesson Learned: I made this great container, with even more little dividers than the one in the image in order to keep all the tobacco safe from rolling around.
I was so proud of my solution and showed the box to everyone in the lab. They all smiled and praised their boss for actually making something. Then I tried to put the lid on the box….and I made the tray to fit the lid of the box rather than the base of the box. DOH! Humble pie, meet fork.
It’s the end of the fiscal year and you know what that means…it’s statistics season! I’ve just finished compiling our FY2010-2011 stats and will now be subjecting them to feats of interpretation and contemplation.
Did you know:
I could go on and on, I love statistics as my staff will attest. What do these numbers mean? Several things which will become more apparent as I delve deeper into the meaning behind these numbers. One thing our data does say, our small staff is cranking out the work!
Image from the Emergence of Advertising In America 1850-1920 digital collection.
Big news! A new ALA ALCTS PARS award has been approved in honor of Jan Merrill-Oldham and her undying support for young professionals. You can read more about it over at PCAN, and eventually the details will be on the ALCTS PARS awards page.
For over 30 years, Merrill-Oldham has been a recognized leader in the field of library and archives preservation. She has served on key committees within ALA, the Association of Research Libraries, the Council on Library and Information Resources, the National Information Standards Organization and many others.
She has educated and mentored countless preservation librarians and conservators and her support for students and dedication to the field serves as a model to all of us. This award recognizes Merrill-Oldham’s wide ranging contributions, deep commitment to the field, and her undying support of young professionals by supporting participation in an ALA conference. In September of 2010, Merrill-Oldham announced her retirement after a long and notable career.
Each year, the Jan Merrill-Oldham Professional Development Grant will consist of $1,250 to support travel to the ALA Annual Conference for a librarian, para-professional or student new to the preservation field. The intention is to provide the opportunity to attend an ALA conference and encourage professional development through active participation at the national level.
The recipient will have the chance to work with a member of the jury to identify relevant programs and interest group sessions to attend, must attend the Preservation Administration Interest Group meeting, and must attend at least one PARS discussion group meeting.
A standing ovation to Jan for her tireless efforts at helping to broaden and grow the field of Library Preservation and Conservation. She has encouraged and mentored so many people, including myself, and we are all better professionals for it. We love you Jan!
We are creating custom enclosures for materials from the History of Medicine Collection. The fantastic staff of the Conservation Lab made these while I was at the AIC conference.
They left them all on my bench as a welcome-back present. I love evidence of productivity like this, and it is much more satisfying than the other welcome-back present I had…527 emails in my inbox.
