Repair Manual Home

Introduction

Guiding Principles

Setting up the Area

Toolbox

Parts of a book

Practical Guidelines

Identifying Repairable Materials

Glossary

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

Your Comments

Self-Closing Wrapper

Cleaning

Torn pages

Tip in a Page

Hinge Repair

Corner Repair

Sewing a Single Signature

Spine Repair

Air Dry Method

Hinge Tightening

FAQs

 

Identifying Material Appropriate for In-House Repair

A typical hard cover book will need attention at several stages in its library life:

• Original trade binding as it comes from the publisher
• Minor mending to extend the useful life of the publisher's trade binding
• Rebinding when the trade binding becomes too worn or the sewing breaks
• Boxing, reformatting or discard when the paper becomes too brittle

This manual will primarily focus on minor mending techniques that will extend access to the original book, yet address damage that impedes the use of the book.

Working Definition of a Simple Book Repair:

For the purpose of this manual and as a working definition for the Dartmouth College Libraries General Collections, simple book repair is defined as those repairs that meet any of the following criteria:

• The repair can be done by staff who have completed training in simple book repair and with the equipment and supplies readily available.
• The damaged book is needed by a patron and/or is a reserve book
• The book is not brittle. If it is ONLY a wrapper will be prepared to protect it while circulating, no other repairs will be attempted.

How Books Appropriate For In-House Repair Are Identified

Damaged books are identified by both library staff and patrons. To make the decision to repair a book in-house requires that each staff member involved in the process be familiar with and understand the implications of treatment and/or other options available. If the over-arching goal of preservation is access, then book repair becomes one option for providing access to a particular book. Briefly, the other options commonly available are ordering a replacement copy of the damaged book, sending the book for commercial binding, reformatting the book, and/or boxing the original material. Each option has a cost, both in staff time and materials. Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules for making these decisions. Rather, a number of factors should be considered by staff.

Some common questions you might ask before repairing a book:

1. Bibliographers

• Is the damaged book worth retaining?
• If not, would Special Collections be interested in the book?
• If book is worth retaining is it still available?
• If the book is available, is the cost of ordering a new book less than the cost of repairing the original?

2. At the Circulation Desk

Is the book needed immediately by a patron?

Are there other copies available?

Have I consulted the appropriate bibliographer?

Have I consulted Preservation Services staff?

3. In Preservation Services

• Is the book needed immediately by a patron?
• Is the book brittle?
• Is the repair simple?
• Do I have time, training, and supplies needed to complete the repair?
• Would it be easier to send the book to the commerical binder for treatment?

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by Preservation Services.