The Book and Paper Group Annual 23 (2004) 67

A BS T RAC T

Books in a circulating library collection may requiredecisions and techniques for repairing failed sewing thatdiffer from those appropriate in “special” library collec-tions. The value of retaining the original structure of thebook is balanced against the need to preserve its contentand the need for effic i e n c y. In order to preserve originalstructure whenever feasible, in-house book repair staffmay choose from a continuum of options and techniqueswhen sewing is repaired, such as: unsupported chainstitch; unsupported link stitch; Japanese paper lining;Japanese paper with flange; tapes; and Japanese paper andcotton cambric.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

There are several methods for repairing original sewingstructures as evidenced in today’s presentations. My col-leagues on the panel work primarily on what we call“special collections” or “primary sources.” These are itemsthat may have few or only one extant copy.

In general collections conservation we repair what arefrequently called “secondary sources.” The term “collec-tions conservation” is most often applied to materials thatare housed in circulating collections in open stacks. Thispaper focuses on repairing modern, circulating materialsthat must be retained and made usable for as long as theyare deemed important to a library’s institutional mission.

W H AT D O E S S E W I N G R E PA I R M E A N?

It is my general philosophy as a collections conservatorto retain as much of the original structure as is possibleand appropriate. In many instances an item in the circu-lating collections is more important for its informationalvalue than for its artifactual value. The need to retain thewritten information over the physical information oftendrives our decision to send an item to the commercialbindery or keep it in-house for repair.

For items we do keep in-house, we must first decidewhether the original sewing is strong enough to retain. Ifso, we will save the sewing and structure intact with min-imal intervention. If the sewing is contributing to theitem’s deterioration, we will remove the original sewingand resew the text block in a manner that improves usabil-ity.

It is also important to consider how much time we candedicate to repairing one single item. Our small lab with4.5 FTE staff (including student assistants) has repaired,rehoused, or pamphlet-bound almost 12,000 items this fis-cal year. When faced with broken sewing and the amountof time needed to repair the book, we first must decide ifthe item can and should be repaired. If the item is to berepaired, we will often choose to resew or use spine liningsto stabilize the text block rather than introducing newmaterial for the purpose of strengthening or reconstitutingoriginal sewing.

W H E N D O W E R E S E W?

We send as many damaged books as we can to the com-mercial bindery to be recased. For those items stayingin-house for repair, I have several guidelines to help usdecide when we can take time to resew a broken text block.

First, we will resew any item that we feel can berepaired but is too fragile to send to the commercialb i n d e r y. The paper must retain some flexibility and be ableto withstand the manipulation of sewing.

Second, we will resew if the text block is complete. If itis missing several pages or plates, or needs extensive page

A Stitch in Time: Repairing theOriginal Sewing Structure on Bound Materials

3. A View from General Collections Conservation

B E T H D O Y L E

Presented as part of a panel discussion moderated by Ethel E.Hellman at the Book & Paper Group Session, AIC 32nd AnnualMeeting, June 9–14, 2004, Portland, Oregon. Received for pub-lication Fall 2004. Color images for this paper are availableonline at http://aic.stanford.edu/bpg/annual/.

repair it may be better to choose another option such asboxing, reformatting, or replacement.

Finally, once we start a repair and find that the originalsewing is too brittle to continue, we will reconsider ouroptions and direct the book into another more appropriateworkflow.

T E C H N I Q U E S

We use several methods of resewing in our lab that canbe categorized as either unsupported or supported sewing.We follow the standard technique of applying a light-weight Japanese paper with wheat starch paste to the spinebefore applying any other linings. This allows us to moreeasily reverse any treatment in the future.

Unsupported Chain StitchThe unsupported chain stitch is the technique most

often used in our lab to resew text blocks or to attach newend sheets. It produces a flexible structure and is relativelyquick to sew. I find, however, that it can be difficult forsome technicians to learn and master, especially if they arenew to this kind of work.

Unsupported Link StitchI find the link stitch to be less fussy and faster than the

chain stitch. It is also easier to teach and can be mastered ina short time. Because it often requires adding additionalsewing holes to the text block, I consider it more invasivethan a chain stitch.

Japanese Paper LiningIn the supported sewing category, the simplest tech-

nique to use is sewing over the first spine lining of Japanesetissue. This is best used to consolidate loose sewing or apartial break in the text block such as one broken sewingstation.

Japanese Paper with FlangeI’ve started using this flange technique for text blocks

with a single break in the sewing, that is, when you havetwo pieces that make up the whole text. The first step inthe process is to create a free flange that extends into thetext block by trimming the Japanese paper spine liningabout one quarter-inch wider than the text block piece (fig .1). The two flanges are then pasted or glued together toconsolidate the text block for sewing (fig. 2).

Ta p e sTapes are used for extra support if the text block is over-

sized or heavy. I paste the tapes to the spine to support thesplit or loose part of the text block and then sew the sec-tions with a link stitch.

The Book and Paper Group Annual 23 (2004)

Japanese Paper and Cotton CambricThis technique is experimental and stems from a very

brief conversation I had with Don Etherington regardingsewing new end sheets onto an already deteriorated textblock. I have been using this technique to repair the staple-bound text blocks that are so prevalent in our stacks. Thestaples are usually rusted through and are no longer strongenough to keep the leaves together, and many have lost thetapes to which they were attached. The paper in thesebooks is generally in good condition and remains flexible.The staples, however, are usually rusted and failing.

I start by cleaning the spine and applying the first lining( fig. 3). Once this lining is dry, I apply a cotton cambriclining with polyvinyl acetate adhesive (PVA). I then resewthe text block over the cambric using a link stitch (fig. 4).The Japanese tissue stabilizes the existing sewing (or sta-ples in this case) and the cotton cambric provides supportfor the new sewing. Additional linings can be applied ifneeded. If the staples have damaged the inner fold, a freeguard of Japanese tissue can be used to help support thesewing from the inside of each gathering.

What I like about this technique is that it retains someof the original structure of the staple binding while creat-ing a text block that can better withstand the heavy use ofa circulating collection.

C O N C LU S I O N

In conclusion I would like to restate that we try to saveoriginal sewing structures whenever feasible. There aremany decisions to make within the context of the demandsplaced upon us by the collections, our users, and ulti-mately our institutions. My presentation today reflects a

68

Fig. 1. Free flange is created by extending spine lining.

Fig. 2. Flanges are pasted or glued together to stabilize text blockfor sewing.

continuum of options for retaining original sewing struc-tures within a collections conservation framework.

BETH DOYLECollections ConservatorDuke University LibraryDurham, North Carolinab.doyle@duke.edu

69Doyle A Stitch in Time: 3. A View from Collections Conservation

Fig. 3. Spine is cleaned and lined with Japanese tissue.

Fig. 4. Cotton cambric is glued on and the text block is sewnover the cambric.