In last weeks post about book mending I mentioned that one of my duties at the Wasilla Public Library is to mend the circulating books when they come back damaged. it’s a job that I really enjoy.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the steps for mending a very common kind of problem: A broken spine that has caused the text block (pages) to separate from the cover.
This little treasure came in with the typical problem described above
Obviously, this won’t do.
First, since the book is here and the cover is a tad ratty, we’ll replace the cover. The tape holding the clear plastic book cover is cut and the jacket is removed for later re-covering
The original paper jacket is covered in clear plastic, but over time the plastic yellows, gets scratched and becomes quite dirty.
The actual repair is relatively simple. A special glue called PVA or Poly Vinyl Acetate is applied to the affected area. This is where things can get a little tricky, though. Too much glue and you have a mess and you take the chance of pages sticking together. Too little glue and the repair will not hold.
At this point, wax paper or some other kind of “slick” surfaced paper is gently inserted. The purpose of this paper is to keep the pages from sticking together.
Wooden skewers are taped along the hinge joint. These will help to make a strong hinge and will add to the strength of the overall repair.
A wooden clamp is prepared to hold the book tightly while the glue dries.
The book rests for 24 hours or so. Notice it is resting on its spine. If any excess glue leaks out it won’t run down the edge of the pages – a nightmare in and of itself.
Time to put the paper cover into it’s new plastic protector!
The next day, the book is removed from the clamps. Notice the crisp hinge?
The book is opened to the repaired area and the slick paper is removed by gently working it back and forth until it comes free.
You can see a slight reflective area on the left. This is dried glue and is fairly subtle. The repair worked and the book is whole again.
You can see that the hinges are firm and tight.
Let’s put that new cover on! You’re going to look mah-velous with your new jacket!
When it’s all done, a happy book, a happy mender and happy patrons!
This post just highlighted a very common kind of problem with the books that are circulated in a library. There are literally hundreds of variations and possible book problems. There are also as many ways of repairing them as there are book menders.
I hope you enjoyed this story with a happy ending.
Super fantabulous post, George!!! I LOVE learning about this and I love that you showed photos of each step and explained the glue and warned us to be careful not to add too much.
I actually should have read something like this before I tried to put one of my books back together. I gave up. Oh, it’s a mess! LOL
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl´s last blog ..Klamath Lake Blue-Green Algae (E3 Live) Review =-.
Hi Michele!
Yay! I’m glad you liked the post. I love doing the book mending. It makes me feel great to fix them and get them back into circulation.
Sorry about your bad mending experience
When I first started, I had several like that. It can be disheartening. If you would care to send me the book, I’ll give it a go – just offering!
George
That’s so sweet, George! I’m not sure if it can be fixed, though – I used lots of tape.
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl´s last blog ..Klamath Lake Blue-Green Algae (E3 Live) Review =-.
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George, I had no idea you worked in a library. I’m trying to find work in a library. (Thinking of an MLIS program next year.)
You’ve reminded me that I have a couple of books on the shelf that could really use some TLC, including an 1884 Oliver Wendell Holmes that I used in a class once. The photos are enormously helpful — and I always wondered how that hinge was created!
.-= Kellie´s last blog ..Web hosting change: cursing ahead =-.
Kellie,
I’m glad the post was helpful. And, I LOVE working in the library. You should consider following @librarycrossing who posts dozens of library jobs in their twitter stream.
Also, the American Library Association is implementing a Library Support Staff Certification starting in January. In theory, that could help move you to the front of the line for any library positions you may consider. Let me know how the library hunt goes!
George
Stupidly forgot to say last week, Thanks for the info! I’m a bit leery of LibraryCrossing as a paid service, but having them on the Twitter feed is still helpful. Thanks for the recommendation.
There’s an internship at my closest school that would be ideal: paid internship (25 hrs/wk during school year; 40 hrs/wk in summer), plus 9 credits of classes paid per semester, plus benefits (including health insurance). Tthere’s only 1 spot, and it comes up only once every 3 years, so I’ll be spending the next couple of months busting ass on applications and sacrificing a lot of virgins.
Thanks again, George. Hope you’re well.
.-= Kellie´s last blog ..Grocery store gets grammatical =-.
Hi Kellie,
I really hope that you grab that internship – what a great opportunity.
Good luck on the virgin hunting for the sacrifices – if I run across any I’ll send ‘em right over
George
I enjoyed this too, George, and also didn’t know you worked in a library. What a great job! I also liked the step by step photos, which explained everything so well! Blessings, O
.-= Olivia´s last blog ..Sacred Life Sunday: Treats Not Tricks =-.
Hi Olivia,
So nice to have you drop by. I’m glad you enjoyed the post! It was fun to take all of the photos – if not cumbersome trying to take them with just one hand!
Cheers
George
Yay! I am happy the book is OK and recovering well from surgery.
I always thought libraries would put the damaged books in the “For sale” pile and sell them at the Friends book sale. Do they repair a lot of them — or does it depend on the book and its availability? Or there are no rules?
.-= Meryl K Evans´s last blog ..How Writers Can Manage Federal Income Taxes =-.
Meryl,
Hehe. That’s how I always feel too!
Most libraries will have a mending department. Wasilla is a fairly small public library and since I AM the mending department I see about 30 circulating items a week that need some TLC. About 50% of the repairs are similar to the one here.
The criteria for repair is essentially cost (my time) versus the book value. Some just get so ratty that the amount of repairs needed to make the book reasonable to circulate just are not worth it. We have a great Director and her philosophy is to replace them rather than have yukky books circulating in her library.
George