Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Conservation Lab

I have mentioned here and there that I did an internship at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in the Conservation Lab, but I have not had a chance to summarize some of the hands on preservation experience that I got while working there. According the the Conservation Book Repair: A Training Manual by Bonadea, one of the most important aspects of conservation is deciding what books to repair. Unlike most libraries, the ALPLM has an extensive budget for preservation work. Because of this they have state-of-the-art equipment, a full-time staff dedicated to preservation and a willingness to repair and restore any document that may need it. The workload for this department is never ending. The various other departments of the library and museum send items to the conservation lab for repairs as they are needed. Items for display, for use in the museum or reference materials that get frequent use take top priority.

Some of the most common repairs that I was able to participate in include:

Rips & Tears- Rips and tears are usually mended with Japanese repair tissue or with heat set tissue that is activated by a hot iron. (I got to do this all by myself)

Loose binding- To do this I used a long knitting needle and dipped it in PVA, (Polyvinyl Acetate) an adhesive, and then slid the needle down the loose inner hinge , while pushing the inside flap with a tool called a folder. Then the book sits in a press until the PVA has dried and it is as good as new.

Loose pages- If a page has fallen out of the book, you glue (PVA) a strip of repair tissue to the edge of the page. Once that is attached, you will "tip in" the page by brushing the adhesive to the strip and gluing it in place. Tissue paper is set inside so that glue doesn't stick to the neighboring pages. Then the book sits on a press to dry.

Boxing- Often books have deteriorated to the point that repair is not totally possible and they cannot be shelved. To remedy this situation a box can be made to fit the book perfectly and will house it on the shelf and protect it from further damage. I was able to make a box, but not on my own. This task involves measuring and mathematical equations to produce a box that fits each individual book like a glove.

These are some of the things that I got hands-on experience with, but there are many more preservation procedures that are much more complicated like sewing bindings, fixing covers, etc. Conservation Book Repair: A Training Manual is available online in full at http://www.library.state.ad.us/hist/hist_does/conman/conman.pdf it is a really great resource.

BonaDea, A. (1995). Conservation Book Repair: A Training Manual. Alaska Department of Education: Juneau, Alaska.