Preservation Department Contact Us!

Staff FAQs

• What do I do if I find a damaged book?
• What should I do with a wet or moldy book?
• Is there a special way I should pack damaged books to send to you?
• What treatment services does the Preservation Department offer?
• How long will books be at the Bindery or in the Book Conservation Unit?
• What are your procedures for managing brittle books and irreparable materials?
• Can you explain what the various Item Process Status (IPS) codes actually mean when they relate to preservation activity?
• Do we have a preservation policy?
• Can I visit the Preservation Department?
  

What do I do if I find a damaged book?

Please bring it to the Circulation Desk at one of the three branches of the University Libraries. Staff there will send it to the Preservation Department for evaluation. Use the flowchart Inspecting Books for Damage as a guide.

Please do not attempt to fix the book yourself using tape or glue. We have all kinds of evidence of tape damage in the collection -- sometimes it's sticky, sometimes the adhesive turns dark yellow and gets very hard, sometimes the carrier falls off and leaves a stain that may have a powdery residue. All are almost impossible to remove. Tape and even Post-it Notes™ leave a residue that over time may cause permanent damage to materials in our collection. It is safer to bag or tie the book to keep the parts together.

What should I do with a wet or moldy book?

Send it to us immediately! Moldy books should first be bagged in a zip-lock polyethylene bag (if you don't have any tell us and we'll send you a bundle of them). Handle moldy items as little as possible.

Books damaged by water can often be successfully salvaged if they are treated right away. Do everything you can to get wet books over to the Preservation Lab as soon as possible. If we are unavailable try contacting the Preservation Librarian (see the University Libraries Emergency Response Plan for contact information), OR place the book into a freezer and notify us (freezing stabilizes the condition and keeps the book from getting moldy).

Staff should be vigilant about risks such as mold, pests, chemicals and biohazards. If there is a suspected high risk involved with handling materials that are returned to the Libraries or otherwise acquired for our collections refer to the protocol Handling High Risk Materials for safety guidelines.

Please refer to the University Libraries' Integrated Pest and Mold Management Policy to better understand the role that every staff person plays to prevent damage from pests, including insects, rodents, and mold. You may also wish to review the slides from our April 2010 staff workshop "Fun Without Bugs".

Is there a special way I should pack damaged books to send to you?

Yes. For those who need to pack and move books in the library, or between libraries, please see the guidelines Packing and Moving Books.

Packed correctly!!!!!!	These should be packed flat

What treatment services does the Preservation Department offer?

The vision of the Preservation Department is to offer the widest range of services possible given available staff and resources. We offer a broad range of repair and conservation options for both books and flat paper, and we create "custom" enclosures (such as phase boxes and portfolios). Routine operations performed in-house include rebacking, recasing, double-fan adhesive binding, pamphlet binding, and page repairs.

CD Enclosure	Book Cradle	Rebacked	Rebound

How long will books be at the Bindery or in the Book Conservation Unit?

The average time a book is unavailable is between two and four weeks. If a patron needs something in a hurry we will do our best to get it in the next shipment. If a book that needs commercial rebinding is a "RUSH" we can send it separately, but there will be an extra cost to the University Libraries for this service, so we don't do it very often.

We strive to repair or enclose books that are being treated "in-house" in the Book Conservation Unit within two weeks. If a book is needed by a patron we can usually complete the repair within 2-3 days. Anytime you need something in a hurry just let us know -- we'll do everything we can to help out.

Can you explain what the various Item Process Status (IPS) codes actually mean when they relate to preservation activity?

There are seven codes used to specify that an item is temporarily unavailable because it is being processed by the Preservation Department:

DM - In Damaged Books: This is the IPS indicating that items have been routed to the Preservation Department for evaluation.

BU - In Book Conservation Unit: Materials that are being repaired or enclosed in-house have this code.

BP - In Bindery Unit: Books to be sent out for commercial binding services have this IPS.

BI - In Irreparable Books: Items that are brittle, moldy, or otherwise badly damaged to the point where they cannot be repaired have this IPS. These have been prepared for review by library subject specialists but have yet to be selected for treatment.

BR - Bib Review in Preservation: These are irreparable books currently being reviewed by library subject specialists for possible replacement, withdrawal, reformatting, or transfer to Special Collections.

PC - Preservation Photocopying: These are monographs that our library subject specialists have decided should be reformatted as paper copy so we can keep the book in the library. When they are no longer protected by U.S. Copyright Law we also make them available in electronic form through the online catalog.

RP - At Reprography: The Preservation Department microfilms approximately 50 books/year with an outside vendor. This IPS indicates that the book will be temporarily unavailable for upwards of 6 months. When we receive our microfilm back from the vendor only the microfilm copy will be made available for use.

What are your procedures for managing brittle books and irreparable materials?

For information about the University Libraries' irreparable book process we invite you to review the 2004 report by the Brittle & Irreparable Books Task Force (October 2004). You may also review our procedures for transferring originals to storage after reformatting.

Do we have a preservation policy?

Yes! The Preservation Policy for the University Libraries was approved by the Library Policy Group in April 2007 and revised in March 2009.

Can I visit the Preservation Department?

Yes! We welcome visitors and will be happy to give you a look around. Please contact us to schedule an appointment.

The Preservation Department is a 2600 square foot purpose built facility with areas set aside for in-house repair, boxing, wet treatment and solvent use, matting and framing, preservation photocopying, and microfilm QC.