EVERYDAY, IN LIBRARIES ACROSS theworld, our cultural heritage—theessence of civilization—is slowly

disintegrating. This is not the theme of asci-fi movie plot. Instead, the problem liesin a simple change that actually helped toincrease access to the information found in books.

Nineteenth century paper manufactur-ers unwittingly created a nightmare forlibrarians when they switched from usingcotton or linen to wood pulp. Althoughthe new less expensive manufacturingprocess made books more affordable andaccessible, the process left an acid residuethat, over time, breaks down the paperfibers, creating brittle pages which eventu-ally crumble to the touch.

While we can’t turn the clock back andbring brittle books back to life, there aretreatments available—singly or in massquantity—to deacidify or neutralize booksthat are not yet brittle. In January 2001the University of Iowa Libraries begansending their newly acquired English

language publications from South Asia to Preservation Technologies in CranberryTownship, Pennsylvania for mass deacidification treatment. PreservationTechnologies uses a process called“Bookkeeper”. The Bookkeeper techniquedeposits magnesium oxide particles thatneutralize the acid and leave a protectivealkaline reserve.

Limits on budget demanded treating a

Libraries keeprecords onbehalf of allhumanity.Vartan Gregorian,Educator, formerPresident of the NYPublic Library

Once our shipment arrives at Preservation Technologies,each book is recorded into a computer database and givena slip with tracking information.

Archival Products

NEWSTo Infinity and Beyond: Mass Deacidification and Cultural Preservation

by Nancy E. Kraft

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targeted area. “We decided to gowith incoming rather than oldermaterial,” Ed Shreeves, AssociateDirector, University of IowaLibraries stated. “Treating mate-rial as it arrives is more efficientand greatly reduces future costs.”

The majority of United Statespublications are now being pub-lished on acid-free paper meetingnational permanent paper stan-dards, as are most publicationsfrom developed countries. Thepublications of developing coun-tries are a mixed bag—publica-tions may be printed on highquality long lasting or on highlyacidic paper. The University ofIowa Libraries’ program focuseson South Asia because its publi-cations have a significantly highpercentage (65-75%) of acidicpaper. Similarly, current titlesfrom Africa, South America andother parts of Asia are often published on acidic papers thatwould benefit from treatment.

Susan Hansen in thePreservation Department testseach book to distinguish safealkaline material and unsafe

acidic materials. The test is basedon the pH of the material. Susanpencils an infinity symbol (∞) on those books passing the pHtest—levels of 6.8 or above—and sends them on for shelving.The books needing treatment arepacked and sent to PreservationTechnologies. Each treated vol-ume has a label attached byPreservation Technologies. Thelabeling of the books that passthe pH test and the books treat-ed by Preservation Technologiesallows staff to monitor the condi-tion of treated and untreatedbooks on a long-term basis.

Decades from now faculty andstudents researching and study-ing South Asian topics will greatly benefit from today’s massdeacidification program. Theywill be able to use deacidifiedbooks that do not crumble to the touch.

Originally published February 2002 in Bindings, apublication of the University of Iowa Libraries.

Nancy E. Kraft is Head of the University of IowaLibraries Preservation Department, 100 MainLibrary, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1420, nancy-e-kraft@uiowa.edu, 319-335-5286.

M A S S D E A C I D I F I C A T I O N – c o n t i n u e d

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The books are attached to a paddle or book holder by clamps and then set into a large cylinderwith magnesium oxide solution. The paddle rotates and goes up and down once the lid is shutand equipment is started.

2 3Deacidification at Homeby Nancy E. Kraft

If you have precious paper documents that you

would like to deacidify, there are products avail-

able to use at home. A pH testing pen determines

whether your paper item is acidic or not. These

pens are available through Abbey Publications,

7105 Geneva Drive, Austin, TX 78723. Contact

them for more information by mail, email

abbeypub@grandecom.net or call 512-929-3992.

The pH testing pen will leave a permanent mark

on the item tested so make sure you test it in an

inconspicuous place. It can be used to test for

acidity in copy paper, file folders, photo album

pages, storage containers, and other paper prod-

ucts in order to determine how safe materials are

for use in storing precious family memorabilia.

Archival Mist, a non-aerosol spray for

deacidification, is available to neutralize paper.

The 5.3 oz. bottle will do up to 300 3 x 4 inch

clippings or items. It is always a good practice

to try something new on a throwaway item and

to always do a test. When in doubt consult a

conservator. This product is not meant to be used

on photographs.

Read more about Bookkeeper and mass

deacidification at http://www.ptlp.com. Learn

more about deterioration of paper and caring

for your family treasures through the Library

of Congress preservation pamphlet series at

website http://lcweb.loc.gov/preserv. Or

consult Craig A Tuttle’s book, An Ounce of

Preservation: A Guide to the Care of Papers

and Photographs, 1994.

Originally published February 2002 in Bindings,a publication of the University of Iowa Libraries.

Nancy E. Kraft is Head of the University of IowaLibraries Preservation Department, 100 MainLibrary, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1420, nancy-e-kraft@uiowa.edu, 319-335-5286.

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GRINNELL COLLEGE IS A four year,liberal arts college located inGrinnell, Iowa with an enroll-

ment of about 1,300 students. Grinnellrecently celebrated its sesquicentennial, andso materials in our collection generally donot predate the mid-to-late nineteenth century. We have a separate science library,and our archives and special collections are

located in the same building with our maincirculating collection. At Grinnell CollegeLibraries, we began to think seriouslyabout the role of preservation in our dailyoperations after individuals from mono-graphic and serial binding, processing andrepair, and cataloging attended a 1989Library Binding Institute (LBI) conferencein Seattle.

Sending representatives from a numberof areas within the library to the LBI con-ference gave us the background we neededto restructure our organization and toreplace materials and practices with thosethat conformed to the Library Binding

Standard (8th edition)1 and the principlesof reversibility. It was also an importantfactor in infecting the larger group withenthusiasm for the many changes we werepreparing to initiate over a short period oftime. Preservation, especially in the smallorganization, must be part of the routineand mindset of every individual on thestaff. Staff members in all areas handle

collections, whether preparingexhibits, cleaning the building,preparing material for shippingto another institution, workingwith shelving, photocopying, orpreparing other kinds of storage.Knowledge and understandingof preservation practices isimportant whether the staffmember is the director of theorganization, a student assistant,volunteer, full or part-timeemployee.

The National Institute forthe Conservation of Cultural

Property states that collections care mustbe fully integrated into the daily life of all cultural institutions2 in so far as theyparticipate in the activity of preserving the national heritage. Collection surveysundertaken by Franklin & Marshall,Amherst, and Grinnell College librariansconfirm the role small collections play inthis mission. The surveys showed that col-lege library collections are often in bettercondition than those of large researchlibraries and that the overlap with othercollections nationally was much smallerthan one might have expected.3 Surveyresults demonstrated the importance of our

Integrating Library Preservation into the Daily Operations of a Small College Libraryby Rebecca Stuhr, Jean Reavis and Sheryl Bissen

Preservation,especially in thesmall organiza-tion, must bepart of the routine andmindset of everyindividual onthe staff. Staffmembers in allareas handlecollections,whether prepar-ing exhibits,cleaning thebuilding,preparing mate-rial for shippingto anotherinstitution,working withshelving, photo-copying, orpreparing otherkinds of storage.

Grinnell College Libraries

collections to the nationwide effort to preserve the written word, and thus ourresponsibility to maintain these collectionsinto the future.

To accomplish our goal of introducing afull-fledged preservation program into ouroperation, we appointed one person tocoordinate preservation activities. Thisassignment fell to the collection develop-ment librarian following the model atFranklin & Marshall College, and based onthe premise that decisions of what and howto preserve material effect the shape of thelibrary collection and are effected by themission of the collection. The collectiondevelopment librarian at Grinnell CollegeLibraries supervises acquisitions and serialswhich includes binding of serials andmonographs. Incorporating preservationinto this position changes its nature, broad-ening its scope to collection management.

Our transformation into an institutionwhere preservation is an integral part ofour operations included the reconsidera-tion of how our materials would be

processed, shelved, stored, and kept clean,a review of our environmental conditions,the selection of a new bindery accompa-nied by the revising of our monographicbinding policy, and the institution of abrittle books review operation.

The brittle books review is part of theoverall condition review that takes place asbooks are returned to the circulation desk.Circulation assistants set aside books thatneed repair. Those items are sent to theprocessing and repair area where the libraryassistant in charge determines whether abook can be treated in-house or must besent out to the bindery. Books that cannotbe treated in-house but are brittle, orappear to be unique or valuable are sent to the preservation librarian for furtherreview. At this stage books are examinedfor brittleness and frequency of circulation,relevance to the collection and presence inother Iowa collections. The availability of a replacement is then determined. A bookmight be replaced by a reprint, new edi-tion, preservation photocopy, or throughan out-of-print search. If the item cannotbe replaced, or if use is limited it may bereturned to the shelf in a phase box orother storage device.

All processing and repair of materialsincludes the evaluation of products used(papers, glues, pockets) for reversibility andappropriate pH level. Staff and studentassistants are trained in how to handlebooks in a nondamaging manner whetherpackaging books for transport to binderiesor other lending institutions, shelving, processing new books, or repairing olderbooks. Some of the materials we incorpo-rated into our processing and repair prac-tices include wheat starch paste (preparedat the library in small quantities), Japanesetissue for paper mends, buckram clothinstead of book tape for spine repairs, and nonacidic papers for tipped-in pagereplacements.

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I N T E G R A T I N G L I B R A R Y P R E S E R V A T I O N – c o n t i n u e d

Chinese book, portrait book and poster in custom four flap enclosures.

Staff and student assistantsare trained inhow to handlebooks in a nondamagingmannerwhether pack-aging books fortransport tobinderies orother lendinginstitutions,shelving, processing new books, or repairingolder books.

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Besides these components of estab-lishing and operating a library preser-vation program, other areas of thelibrary incorporate preservation intothe daily routine. Circulation workersidentify items to be sent for assessmentin processing and repair. Interlibraryloan staff must determine if an item is either too valuable or too fragile tobe shipped out for use at another insti-tution. Collection development andacquisitions personnel need to takecondition and possible storage or treat-ment issues into consideration whenpurchasing out-of-print books oraccepting gifts.

At the Grinnell College Libraries,we made changes to the routine han-dling and processing of material withlittle additional cost. The everyday pro-cessing of material, binding budgets,janitorial services, exhibit cases andindividual storage devices, purchase of microfilm or microfiche to replacenewspapers are often part of an exist-ing budget. Heating and air condition-ing are generally, but not always,already operational, although modifica-tions and enhancements may be neces-sary. These elements constitute effortsand expenditures for preservation.Additional money may be needed forinvestment into appropriate repair sup-plies, some small pieces of equipmentand appropriate tools (a small bookpress, rubber mats, bone folders, clothtape for tying, book cloth), the retrain-ing of employees, and ongoing atten-dance at workshops and conferences. A major reallocation of financialresources is not a requirement for a solid preservation program thatencourages the continued good healthof a collection. Gaining the commit-ment to and an acceptance of the prin-ciples of preservation on the part of

every member of the library staff willbe the single most important factor inwhether an institution succeeds or failsin their preservation endeavors.

Routine use of protective enclosuresis an important part of any library’spreservation activities. At GrinnellCollege Libraries we use a variety of enclosures including music-scorebinders, archival folders, customclamshell boxes, phase boxes, pambinders, and four flap enclosures. Fourflap enclosures are used throughoutour library collection but primarily for two categories: material going intoour East Asian Collection and materialselected through the brittle booksreview process.

Books in our East Asian Collectioncome in a variety of nonstandardheights. The paper is extremely light-weight, and spines are often sewn, buthave no additional supportive material.Many of these books will fold immedi-ately under their own weight if shelvedupright and so require supplementarysupport. We want to preserve the tradi-tional string bindings and decorativepapers that cover many of the books in our collection, and so commercialbinding is out of the question. Wehave found the most effective way toprotect these books is to house them incustom-made four flap enclosures. Theheavier outer boards of the enclosureprovide the necessary support for thematerial to stand undamaged on theshelf, and the lighter weight four flapinner folder encloses the item to pro-tect it from sunlight and environmen-tal pollutants. The snug fit protects theitem as it is moved on the shelf or incirculation. No sewing or stapling isnecessary so nothing is done to alterthe existing condition of the book. Theenclosures have an 8.6 pH level and

I N T E G R A T I N G L I B R A R Y P R E S E R V A T I O N – c o n t i n u e d

Measuringfor customfour flapenclosures:Often works needing custom

four flap enclosures are quite

old and cockled making it

difficult to accurately obtain a

good measurement. Measure

the length and the width of the

book and if it is at a 16th of an

inch go to the next 1/8-inch. To

measure the depth or thick-

ness of the book, lay it flat on

a table. Lightly place your hand

on the top cover, measure the

thickness of the spine and then

the fore edge by standing a

ruler up on end on the table

top, first against the spine

and then at the fore edge.

Use the measurement that is

greater to create a good fit

for each volume.

UPS emailconfirma-tion ofshipmentsis now available including

expected delivery date and

optional on-line tracking. To

take advantage of this service,

include your email address

with your LBS or Archival

Products order and request

UPS on-line tracking.

include a 3% calcium carbonate reserve.This buffering is important because of theacidity of most material in the East AsianCollection. As yet we have no deacidifica-tion program at Grinnell College.

We use four flap enclosures for the following kinds of East Asian material:

• traditional string bound books with spinesone inch or narrower

• adhesive bound or sewn through the foldbooks with spines one inch or narrower andwith lightweight or fragile paper

• paperbacks with damaged covers, brittle orfragile paper, thin spines, and lightweightconstruction that will not support themselveswhen shelved upright.

Protective covers are chosen for booksgoing through the brittle books review ifthey are in poor condition but do not cir-culate frequently. We choose either a phasebox or a four flap enclosure. We preferphase boxes for the larger books, and fourflap enclosures for the smaller items.

Although we often choose four flapenclosures for the smaller items, we’veenclosed several small volumes togetherinto one enclosure of nearly two inches inthickness. We’ve also used four flap enclo-sures for discreet collections of posters,large music scores, groups of maps (bothopen and folded) and letters. The height,width, and depth dimensions are limitedonly by the ingenuity of and the construc-tion material available to the techniciancreating the enclosure. The largest four flapenclosure we have requested to date wasmade for a collection of posters, measuringin inches 26 (h) x 19.5 (w) x .25 (depth).These, along with a slightly smaller item, amusic score, measuring 24 (h) x 21 (w) x.25 (depth) are not shelved upright but arelaid flat on special oversized shelving.

Ready made folders come multi-scoredso that they can be adjusted to fit the itemsnugly in all dimensions. We have ourfolders custom made to an exact fit, and so the inner flaps are only scored once. Toenclose an item, we open the outer boards,and all flaps. The item (or items) to beenclosed are placed in the center of theflaps with the item’s spine toward the spine

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I N T E G R A T I N G L I B R A R Y P R E S E R V A T I O N – c o n t i n u e d

Protective coversare chosen forbooks goingthrough thebrittle booksreview if theyare in poor condition butdo not circulatefrequently. Wechoose either a phase box or a four flapenclosure.

Folding the flaps of the custom four flap enclosure over the book.

Placing a Chinese book into a custom four flap enclosure.

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I N T E G R A T I N G L I B R A R Y P R E S E R V A T I O N – c o n t i n u e d

of the enclosure. The flaps arefolded in beginning with thetop flap, then by the bottom,right, and finally the left flap.Once on the shelf, enclosuresare indistinguishable from otherbooks. The spine is covered in alight green C cloth. The outerboards come up over the top ofthe enclosure similarly to thatof a book binding. We placebarcodes on the inside of theouter board, rather than on thebook itself. Call number andother identifying labels fit easilyon the back spine of the folder.

To process each individualitem for the shelf after it hasbeen cataloged, we do the fol-lowing: for East Asian material,we pencil in the romanizedform of the book’s author andtitle and apply the propertystamp on the title page. On thefollowing page we pencil thecatalog number and stamp thedate of processing. We then

insert the tattle tape. To thefolder we adhere a spine labelfor the call number and placeclear tape over the call numberlabel. The call number is for-matted from Innopac, our in-house integrated library system.We paste a bookplate on theupper left corner of the insidecover. A barcode is attached onthe uppermost flap, centeredalong its top edge. Although it is possible to attach Velcrodots to the inside cover and theuppermost flap, we have notfound this step to be necessaryto ensure proper closure of the folders.

We prefer to attach our titlelabels to the enclosure spine.However, if the spine is notwide enough, we will attach the label to the front cover. The title labels can be printedin most languages, includingChinese, by using NISUSWord Processor software on

a Macintosh. ForChinese language titles, the characters are arranged vertically.The NISUS softwarecan also create graph-ics. We use this feature to draw a box aroundthe Chinese characters.This gives the label aprofessional look andserves as a guide forstandardized sizing andappearance.

The unique natureand generally soundcondition of the collec-tions of small collegeUsing the label guide to position the title label.

Processing books for mass alkalizationThe University of Iowa Preservation Department is

currently participating in a CIC cooperative program

to alkalize bound books. Preparation for shipment of

books to the Preservation Technologies plant includes

the following steps:

Sending

• Receive books from the marking department.

• Spot test each book for alkaline paper using the

Abbey pH pen with a trial swatch on the tail edge of

the book. Suspect positives should be checked in a

corner of a last printed leaf.

• Record separate counts for alkaline paper books and

acid paper books.

• Mark alkaline paper books in pencil in the gutter

margin of the lower board opening. Mark an infinity

sign plus the date of the spot test.

• Return alkaline paper books to normal processing

flow (to circulation).

• Shelve acid paper books in book repair area until 375-

400 books are gathered. Charge out from the library

and generate a packing list. Confirm shipment count.

• Choose a duplicate (discard) book to use as a control

volume. Cut the book in half using the guillotine.

Retain one half, clearly marked with shipment

number. Pack the other half for shipment.

• Pack acid paper books in the plastic totes following

Preservation Technologies (PT) guidelines.

• Prepare pallet and advise shipping department of the

need for a pickup.

Receiving

• Unpack books from plastic totes. Store totes for

future shipments.

• Verify shipment count.

• Check in books for shelvable condition and the

presence of the PT treatment label.

• Send books to acquisitions department for online

alkalization note.

Gary Frost, Libraries ConservatorUniversity of Iowa Libraries319-335-5908 gary-frost@uiowa.edu

LBS/Archival Products1801 Thompson Ave.P.O. Box 1413Des Moines, Iowa 50305-14131-800-526-5640515-262-3191Fax 888-220-2397custserv@archival.com www.archival.com

libraries mean that it is essential that we dowhat we can to preserve these collectionsfor the long term. An enthusiastic andwell-informed staff will make the transitionto using appropriate materials and practicesa smooth one. Making use of readily avail-able technologies such as protective covers,including the four flap enclosure, is a sig-nificant element of our preservation rou-tine and has proven to be a cost efficient,practical and successful method for extend-ing the life of a valuable segment of ourcirculating and noncirculating collection.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1 Library Binding Standard, 8th ed. Chicago, IL: Library BindingInstitute, 1986. For the current standard seeANSI/NISO/LBI Z39.78-2000 Library Binding Standard,Bethesda, MD: National Information StandardsOrganization (NISO), 2000. URL: http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/Z39-78.pdf

2 Collections Care: Catalyst for Funds. Washington, D.C.: National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property,Inc., 1995, p.1.

3 Gertz, Janet E., Charlotte B. Brown, Jane Beebe, and Lynn Robinson. “Preservation Analysis and the Brittle BookProblem in College Libraries: the Identification ofResearch-Level Collections and Their Implications. (For Preservation Needs; Survey of Franklin & MarshallCollege, 1988 and Amherst and Grinnell Colleges, 1990).”College & Research Libraries 54 (May 1993): 227-39.

Rebecca Stuhr is the Collection Development andPreservation Librarian at Grinnell College Libraries, 1111 6th Avenue, Grinnell, Iowa 50112, stuhrr@grinnell.edu,641-269-3674

Jean Reavis is Library Assistant for cataloging. She handlesmaterials for the East Asian Collection.

Sheryl Bissen is Library Assistant for cataloging and technicalsupport. She is responsible for monographic binding and repair,and for preparing materials for preservation photocopying.

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Cart of processed books in labeled enclosures ready forshelving.