As mentioned in a previous blog post, Andrew and Naomi from Case Western Reserve came to the lab in late February to demo the MISHA portable multispectral imaging system, made possible by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Research Grant awarded to the Rochester Institute of Technology. In total, Naomi and Andrew imaged five objects from the Public Library, UC Libraries, and one of our third-party institutional clients. Imaged books included, one Otto Ege item, two Book of Hours, one undated Latin music manuscript, and a Pentateuch volume from Hebrew Union College. In all, thirteen separate capture sessions were carried out for the five objects. Afterwards, the raw data from the capture sessions was shared with the Lab via OSF (Open Science Framework) so that I could process the data in the NEH grant supported open access RCHIVE (Rochester Cultural Heritage Image processing and Visualization Environment) software.
RGB representationBand 5 with the MNF (Maximum Noise Fraction) algorithm applied and the Gaussian enhancement appliedA false color representation
The image gallery above shows the recto of leaf 32 from the Public Library’s copy of Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI century, by Otto Ege.
While each of the capture sessions took only two minutes to complete, I found that processing the raw data took me a bit longer to figure out. Processing the data felt very similar to using CHI’s RTI Builder and Viewer software. However, in this situation I did not have a week-long training opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the software and its functions. For the Spectral Analysis App, I had only a couple of brief documents to refer to, so the learning curve was a little steeper. I also experienced some issues with the software while processing the data with the flatfield files provided from the capture session. But in the end, the processed files seemed fine without the flatfield data, so it all worked out.
RGB representationBand 3 with the MNF (Maximum Noise Fraction) algorithm appliedA false color representation
The above image gallery depicts a leaf from Hebrew Union College’s Pentateuch Ms. 1 with adhesive staining, tape, and prior repairs.
What I discovered through processing all the MISHA data and then comparing it to the existing specialized imaging done in the Lab was that the suite of imaging we do in the Lab is very well rounded and, in general, suits our needs and our clientele quite well. In many cases, our results were at least comparable, if not better (specifically within the UV wavelengths) than the results accomplished using the MISHA. And, especially with our UV workflow, though our current capture time might be slightly longer than that of MISHA, the data processing time is significantly shorter and, in the case of UV especially, the side-by-side results of the accurate normal illumination next to the full color UV image(s) is ideal for our purposes.
RGB representationand 2 using the Maximum Noise Fraction (MNF) algorithm with the brightness adjusted
The images above show an example of scraped text on parchment from UC Libraries Hours of the Virgin from 1475, currently in the Lab for treatment. Compare these MISHA generated images to the documentation performed by Catarina Figueirinhas and myself using the Lab’s equipment and processes below.
Normal illuminationUV image (using our old setup without the UV Innovations target)
That said, I am fully aware that not everyone has access to the equipment/training that I have been fortunate to curate/experience over the last five plus years. Also, not everyone uses their finished data exactly how we do. For instance, the needs and expectations of a conservation lab and cultural heritage institutions can be very different. Even within the conservation field, how we use the data provided by specialized imaging in our hybrid book and paper lab is quite different from the kind of data needed by a fine arts conservation lab. Ultimately, I think the core audience for a system like the MISHA system is an organization looking to expand their suite of imaging services, or an institution with no multispectral imaging infrastructure interested in imaging collections in a quick and easy manner. Though for the latter, I would say that there is a big learning curve in manipulating and processing the data, but if greater focus is put into making the software and processing steps user-friendly, especially to novice users, it is completely manageable. And if this step is taken, I think the system could help a lot of institutions dive deeper into the materiality and history of their collections.
RGB representationBand 5 with the PCA (Principal Component Analysis) algorithm applied, inverted with brightness adjustedA false color representation
The images above depict another example of faded, scraped text. This flyleaf is from an undated Latin music manuscript that is part of the Public Library’s collection. The images below represent imaging done by the Lab, both normal illumination and UV radiation, with the goal to increase the legibility of the inscription.
Normal illuminationUV radiation image using our current, standardized workflow that has been further enhanced to bring out the text.
In the end, multispectral imaging is just plain FUN! So, the idea of making it more accessible to a wider audience is extremely exciting and I think the work that NEH, RIT, and colleagues like Andrew and Naomi are doing to share the power and wonder of multispectral imaging is amazing. The idea of a portable multispectral imaging system with free processing software that does not take a PhD to use is boundary-breaking, and it gives us a glimpse into a future of accessible and exciting imaging, which thus allows us to see and understand more of the past. I will always be an advocate for that kind of imaging!
One of the exciting things about the Preservation Lab is you never know what’s going to come into the Lab next! Sure, sometimes we know a little bit ahead of time about upcoming projects, but usually the special collections intake meetings are filled with “oohh’s”, “aahh’s” and sometimes “oh no’s”. But it’s not very often that you get to work on a project, here in Cincinnati, while the objects themselves are across the Atlantic. Combine that with RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging), a variety of Vesalius related texts, and an opportunity to collaborate with other photographers, and you’ve got a recipe for one exciting project!
Currently in the planning stages, the Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions will host a series of Cecil Striker lectures and a physical exhibition that will celebrate the work of Andreas Vesalius. The series and exhibition is entitled The Illustrated Human: the Impact of Andreas Vesalius and is sponsored by Stephen and Sandra Joffe. Vesalius was a renowned 16th century author and physician, whose iconic work on human anatomy, De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem, is considered one of the most influential anatomy books ever written. Three rare first edition Vesalius volumes will be exhibited during this upcoming lecture series, gratuitously on loan from Stephen and Sandra Joffe. Dr. Joffe is a long-time UC supporter and an emeritus faculty member.
For the upcoming exhibit, the Lab will be creating custom supports, as needed, to display the volumes, and providing imaging of various pages and illustrations for promotion. I will also be doing any additional specialized imaging that might be helpful.
Since we believe that some, if not all three bindings coming to Cincinnati, might be original to the volumes, and we immediately thought of RTI and wondered if it could provide new insights to researchers. After seeing the wonders of RTI, via RTI examples from the Lab, the owners of the Vesalius editions were interested in having RTI done on a selection of Vesalius items in their collection, including some that wouldn’t be coming to the Lab. The only hitch? The volumes are at their home in Scotland. The solution: hire a local photographer, Iain McLean, to carry out the capture portion of the RTI in Scotland, and have the files shared with the Lab for processing and rendering. Though Iain is an established commercial photographer with a digital imaging background, RTI was a new adventure for him, so I shared some resources with him, including CHI’s Guide to Highlight Image Capture and some notes and resources created by the Lab during our various capture sessions. Iain and I then met via Zoom in mid- August to discuss the ins and outs of RTI highlight capture prior to his capture session on August 20th. Iain also brought his colleague and fellow photographer, John Linton, into the fold to assist him during the capture session, which I recommended highly because though it might be possible to do RTI solo, I can’t imagine a capture session without my normal collaborator and the Lab’s Assistant Conservator, Catarina Figueirinhas. The session would take double the time and I’d make five times the mistakes without Cat! (Check out a time lapse video of Cat and I doing RTI in the Lab on our YouTube channel).
Iain and John during the capture session, featuring one of my favorite volumes that they captured that day. (This image was taken by Iain and kindly shared with me.)
After a successful test capture session, Iain and John were ready for the main capture session on August 20th. They ended up capturing the front and back covers of seven volumes. Once the massive capture session was completed, Iain shared the jpegs with me so that I could begin processing the images in RTI Builder and then rendering the snapshots in RTI Viewer.
This is a time lapse video of the capture session. (This video was created by Iain and kindly shared with me.)
After processing the 679 images and rendering the snapshots, here are some of my favorite finds:
This a side-by-side of an upper cover. The left image shows the default lighting mode in RTI Viewer and the right show the specular enhancement mode. On the right, just above the center panel, you can see the letters GFV (above the panel) and 1567 (below the panel), which are much more visible with the specular enhancement mode than under normal illumination.Here you can see a detailed composite of another cover’s center panel. On the left is the default/normal illumination mode, the center shows the normals visualization mode, and the right is the specular enhancement mode. You can see by employing the two specialized RTI modes the ornate detail of the cover is far more readable.
This composite of the upper cover features the diffuse gain mode on the upper left half, and the default lighting mode on the lower left half. The diffuse gain mode really accentuates the features of the man in the center panel.
This is a composite of the lower cover of the same volume (my favorite binding of the group). This shows the default on the upper left and specular enhancement on the lower right.
This composite of another upper cover shows the default mode on the left and the specular enhancement mode on the right. With this one, the discoloration of the cover distracts the eye and pulls it away from the detail of the decoration, but with the specular enhancement mode you can eliminate the color completely and modify the secularity so that your eye can focus solely on the elaborate detail.
This was such a fun experience for me, and I really enjoyed collaborating with colleagues outside the conservation field and across the pond! And I look forward to the condition photography of the three volumes and any additional specialized photography that might be helpful.
Special thank you to Stephen and Sandra Joffe for allowing their important collection items to be photographed, and for giving the Lab full permission to use the generated images. Also, a very special thanks to photographers Iain McLean and John Linton for capturing these covers and for collaborating with me on this exciting project.
We’ve reached the end of Preservation Week and what better way to celebrate than with a fun how-to video on our Lab’s YouTube channel?!
This video goes over how to make a collapsible punching cradle, step-by-step. Punching cradles are a useful bookbinding tool to have on hand in your toolbox. They allow you to create uniform sewing stations in your signatures or gatherings when you are preparing to sew a textblock. Best of all, this type of punching cradle is fully collapsible and easy to store while not in use; especially when you make one of these simple slipcases to hold all the pieces.
Here you can see a collapsed punching cradle stored in a paper slipcase made with marbled paper (left) and a punching cradle assembled and ready for use (right).
Don’t forget to “like” our video and subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay in the loop when we post new videos to the channel. If you decide to make your own punching cradle, we’d love to know what you thought of the video or, even better, tag us in a photo of it on Instagram (@thepreservationlab).
We hope you’ve enjoyed celebrating Preservation Week 2021 with us! We look forward to celebrating our 11th annual Preservation Week next year…maybe even in person this time?!
To celebrate nationalPreservation Week (April 25 – May1, 2021), staff at the Preservation Lab are sharing the following answers to the question below as they reflect upon the wealth of library resources located in the Cincinnati community:
What is your favorite treatment or project that you have worked on in the Lab?
Jessica Ebert:
Learning a new photographic imaging technique, RTI
In April of 2017 I had the amazing opportunity of attending a 4-day workshop at Yale University to learn Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) from the experts at Cultural Heritage Imaging. It was one of the most exciting experiences of my career, and when I came back to the Lab to show the staff what I had learned, Aller Bucher Und Schrifften volume from Martin Luther was one of the first items we captured with RTI. I remember that moment when Catarina and I completed the capture and processed the images – we were just in awe of everything we could see with RTI that we couldn’t under normal illumination. Since then, we’ve made changes to our equipment and our workflow, so now the results are even better than they were back then…but this will always be my favorite.
Of all the projects I have worked on at the Preservation Lab, this item is by far one of my ultimate favorite treatments I was able to perform. This book was brought to the Preservation Lab in poor condition. The book had no binding, the text block was split in multiple areas, the sewing was broken, and several pages of the text block where either torn or had extensive loss. In addition, most of the text block showed signs of water damage. Since this book was in such poor condition and the curator of the collection wanted the book to be handled by scholars and the public, it was necessary to do a full conservation treatment.
I was thrilled when I got assigned to this book treatment. I love to work on any book, but the more complicated or involved treatments the better and this was definitely the case. In this treatment, I was able to repair the text block, reduce some of the tideline staining, fill losses and resew the entire text block, while also creating a new binding (called a split board binding) that is strong and flexible to allow such a heavy book to be read.
Before Treatment – Initial condition of the book when it was received by the Preservation Lab. The text block was split, the sewing was broken, and several pages were torn or had paper loss.
After Treatment – Conservation treatment complete. After the text block was repaired and resewn, the book received a new split board binding that allowed the heavy book to be read while mitigating further damage.
After Treatment – The new split board binding provided the book a more flexible opening.
This treatment took a long time to complete, and to this day it is still one of the projects that I have enjoyed the most. Click here to see the complete treatment report and all the photographic documentation. To learn more about conservation split board bindings, check out the Preservation Lab blog post by Kasie and Jessica.
Kasie Janssen:
Iron gall ink treatment of the CHPL Jones Account Book
Washing and rebinding treatments are always a favorite when they come across my bench, as they allow a highly damaged item to become usable and accessible once again. An account book of Jones and Rammelsberg offered one such treatment as it came to the lab with a myriad of issues: a damaged book block without a binding, corroding iron gall ink, previous mold damage, and a shocking amount of pest evidence. The treatment is incredibly memorable because to tackle the issues of aging iron gall ink I was able wash the pages of the book block using a calcium phytate bath to stabilize the manuscript. Once the washing was complete, I was able to resew and rebind the book block, making it whole, functional, and protected once again. It is rare and special to have done such an involved treatment, but in this case the in-depth steps allowed previous damage to be treated and helped remedy the inherent vice of aging materials.
The book block before treatment was highly damaged, so much so, that it was difficult for library patrons and staff to access and use the item without a cover.
Handling the book, you’d never know the hours of labor that went into the treatment (including learning!), but its functional form makes it ready for use once again.
Creating the Italian ledger binding for our teaching model collection
The lab creates a lot of models. Many of these models are made in preparation for treatments. However, some models are created with instruction or engagement in mind. These models, such as the Italian stationery binding (laminated archival bind) I created, help illustrate the history of the book as its form and manufacturing process change over time. Check out the model at the blog entry where you can see a video of the binding being handled. Follow the instructions on the blog make you very own, and in the future, come see it for yourself when our in-person open houses resume in the future.
View of the cover fully opened that shows the overband lacing pattern, the front fore edge flap, and the buckle clasp.
Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer:
Treatment of a Haggadahowned by Hebrew Union College
I particularly enjoy the problem solving nature of special collection treatments and thus, my “favorite” treatment is usually the one I’m working on. Currently, I’m treating a Haggadah owned by Hebrew Union College that dates to 1526 or 1527. While I’ve treated other haggadahs from HUC, including this one, this project involved iron gall ink treatment AND rebinding a textblock with two different sized leaves, or pages, into its original historic leather cover. Because the binding had been previously treated and reformatted with materials that did not age well, collaboration with the librarians at HUC required exploration into whether we wanted to re-create the past reformatting option with longer lasting materials, or perhaps, explore a new option altogether. Before we committed to a solution, I created a model to test out a new option since unanticipated questions or outcomes often arise during experimental pursuits. For that reason, it’s better to problem solve on a model, rather than on an actual special collection material. In the end, the librarians and I were happy with the results of the new option, and I’m currently at the stage where I’m ready to start rebinding the pages of the actual object.
The top image shows the book open to smaller sized printed leaves before treatment. Leaves are previously reformatted with yellowed tape along the edges, attached to larger paper frames. Paper frames are cockled and distorted. The middle image shows a detail of untrimmed, full-size manuscript leaves. The bottom image shows the fore edge of the binding before treatment.
These images show the model that explores a solution to encapsulate the smaller pages into polyester sleeves that could be sewn into the binding next to the larger pages. This required staff to weld polyester sleeves with paper hinges that could be sewn through like a gathering.
The image shows the binding ready for resewing with its new encapsulated leaves, or pages, next to the created model.
Not only was this piece based on a favorite subject of mine (I love Shakespeare!), this was a historic photograph treatment I was able to handle with just a little guidance. I was able to properly identify the photographic elements on the first try, performed a surface cleaning on the piece, and created my very first cloth-covered clamshell and cradle to house it. It was such a wealth of learning experiences within one project, which is the best part of my work!
Before cleaning; albumen card (note the finger prints in the upper right corner). The image depicts the photographer as a soldier.
Cloth-covered clamshell exterior.
Cloth-covered clamshell interior, with piece opened to surface cleaned soldier image in integrated cradle.
Chris Voynovich:
Constructing a custom cloth-covered enclosure to house the Public Library’s William S. Porter Collection of photographs
One of my favorite aspects of the job here, in the lab, is designing and creating custom enclosures. This collection of rare daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes is an example of adapting a standard cloth covered clamshell to accommodate a collection. I created two trays with pull tabs that are removable for easy access and display. Each photograph has its own tuxedo box and is set in polyethylene foam (Volara) for protection. The tuxedo box enclosures are identical in size to reduce confusion while repacking. Check out this blog created by Jessica that shows a gif of the enclosure opening and closing, and this blog post showing a similar enclosure I created for a dairy collection.
View of the opened cloth-covered clamshell with the two removeable trays in place. The trays contain the collection of cased photographs in tuxedo boxes with labels for easy identification.
This image shows the bottom tray partially pulled out, displaying the two larger cased photographs.
Today at 3pm (EST) join Jessica and Catarina on the Preservation Lab’s Instagram (@thepreservationlab) for a quick, informal Instagram Live.
Then tomorrow, make sure to tune into the Public Library’s Instagram (@cincylibrary) at 12pm (EST) for an in-depth Instagram Live event where Catarina and Jessica will be sharing treatments they are currently working on; giving you a behind-the-scenes look and answering all your questions “Live in the Lab”.
One of our most recent additions to our channel is the recording of our Virtual Lab Tour and Live Q&A, hosted by the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, which took place on Tuesday. If you weren’t able to join us live, please take a look; it was a very fun event and we had so many great questions from our live viewers.
Make sure to subscribe to our channel so that you can stay up to date on any new videos we add! And don’t forget to like videos, and we’d love to hear about what you’d like to see more of from us in the future.
The Lab will be offering a virtual lab tour on Tuesday, January 26th at noon (EST). The Facebook Live event will be hosted on the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Facebook page. Staff will give a tour of all of our most used and loved areas of the lab and will highlight how we use the spaces and the equipment, tools, and supplies stored in each space. Following the tour, we will be doing a live Q&A where you can ask us any questions you might have.
We hope you can join us for our first Virtual Tour, but don’t worry if you can’t, a recording of the tour will be available after the event so that you may view it at your leisure.
We recently shared a blog post on the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s blog that serves as a companion post to this one. Both posts focus on the repair of two CHPL books, Covered Bridges and When Art Meets Design, that received split-board binding treatments carried out by Kasie. While this post focuses on the treatment itself, the other illustrates the journey of a circulating book through treatment in the lab (and at home) and its eventual return to the library. We highly recommend checking out A Journey from Broken to Mended: Repairing Books in the Preservation Lab.
As a hybrid conservation lab, we treat and house both special collection items and general circulating collection items, as well as everything in between. Special collection items are rare or archival materials that typically do not circulate; basically, books and other objects that you can’t take home with you, are out of print, valuable, and/or are less readily available locally, nationally or even globally. General circulating collections are typically books that can be checked out and taken home, and tend to be newer books, books still in print, and/or more popular books. Since we are a collaborative lab that means that we treat and house special collections and general collections from both the University of Cincinnati Libraries (UCL) and the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL).
Due to the nature of these two types of collections (general and special), the treatment, documentation and who treats what is very different. Before the pandemic, most of the staff’s time was dedicated to special collection items or the items that fall between the two categories, which we call medium rare, and our students and volunteers, with plenty of hands-on, one-on-one training, handled the bulk of our general collection repairs. But then working from home, all or a majority of the time, became the norm for Lab staff and we had to shift focus and turn to taking on more general collection repairs that we could more easily take home with us. Initially, we took home more difficult sewing projects and mending projects that our students or volunteers either hadn’t gotten to yet or were avoiding for one reason or another. Then, after we could return to the Lab in some capacity to prep our own materials, we realized that split-board bindings* were the ideal general collections treatment for staff to work on from home.
A split-board binding is a new binding or case that incorporates several newly added reinforcement elements that are then sandwiched between two pieces of board that make up the front and back covers.
Kasie’s split board binding cutaway model
Each technician has a cutaway model that they’ve made, so they can easily reference it during treatment.
With the cutaway model you can see the various aspects of the treatment.
Split-board bindings are a great solution for oversized, heavy books like coffee table books and art books with glossy pages, which are very common in both UCL and CHPL general circulating collections. They are also, by far, the most complex general collections treatment we perform in the lab and have always been done by the conservation technicians, instead of our students or volunteers. This is not only because of the complexity of the treatment, but also because of the lengthy treatment time involved; a student or volunteer’s limited weekly schedule in the lab is not conducive to such an extensive treatment. Though it was a general collections treatment reserved solely for the conservation technicians, prior to March 2020 the techs unfortunately had little time to work on these treatments, as our focus was primarily on special collections treatments and housing. Therefore, we had amassed a little backlog of split-board binding treatments – enter quarantine and working from home!
One question that might come to mind, if split-board bindings are so elaborate and extensive, why do them on general collections items at all? Why not just buy a new copy; wouldn’t that be more cost effective? Typically, the books that warrant a split-board binding are more pricey, glossy paged, oversized books, like art and architecture books. And unfortunately, though these books have a much higher retail price than your average James Patterson novel, the construction is generally less than ideal. These books might have beautifully printed, full-color, thick and glossy pages and dynamic cover art, which makes them attractive to the reader, but they also are often sewn with very thin, fragile thread that easily breaks. The spines are generally lined with a layer of rigid plasticized glue that can become very brittle over time. Often, the covers or cases are constructed solely of printed paper, not cloth, and generally have a thick piece of board along the spine (which we call a flat back) that doesn’t allow the book to flex properly when opened and can actually make the spine break down and tear in record time. It is not uncommon for these books to have little to no reinforcement in the attachment of the textblock to the binding (i.e. how the block of pages is attached to the cover), which makes the heavy textblock break away from the cover quite easily with use.
Textblock broken away from the cover
Example of plasticized adhesive that has failed, leaving the textblock unsupported
Example of plasticized adhesive that has failed, leaving the textblock unsupported
Textblock detached from cover and textblock not properly supported
But why are these books constructed so poorly? These large coffee table and art books are constructed with individual use in mind, not with the frequent use and circulation that comes with a library collection item. The split-board treatment, along with many general collection repairs, improves on a bad binding design and makes the book stronger and sturdier, using better binding techniques and materials that can better stand up to use by many library patrons.
A split-board binding treatment involves creating a new binding with new sewn-on endsheets that are reinforced with cloth, at least three sewn on linen tapes (supports), new spine linings, and a new quarter bound case created with two boards at the front cover and two at the back cover, and generally an inlaying of the original cover designs. However, additional elements of treatment may be warranted based on the condition of the book, such as broken sewing, tears, detached leaves, etc. The steps generally proceed in the following order:
Prepare materials in the Lab – new endsheets, starched reinforcing cloth, linen tapes, spine linings, binders board, bookcloth and Bristol board for inlays.
Detach textblock from cover, if needed.
Remove original spine linings, mechanically and with poultices.
If broken, remove original sewing thread and disbind textblock.
Mend any tears and guard any separated, torn or detached leaves.
Sew to include linen tape supports and new endsheets using French link stitch – whether partial/added sewing over the original sewing or complete resewing is dependent on whether the original sewing was intact or if it was broken and the textblock disbound.
Round and back spine, as needed.
New spine linings adhered to the spine:
Reversible layer of kozo fiber tissue with wheat starch paste.
Original stuck-on endbands, if present, or new endbands.
Cloth reinforcement lining (Cambric) with flanges that extends past the spine on both sides.
Several paper linings to further support the textblock.
Create “laminated flanges”, the key characteristic of a split-board binding, using the sewn on linen tapes, the flanged cloth piece adhered to the spine, and the first and last leaves of the new endsheets. Cut laminated flanges into thirds, with the center portion incorporating all the linen tapes.
If the original covers included artwork that should be retained, mechanically remove from the original boards. Remove remaining board backing with poultice.
Remove and clean the original spine.
Cut binder’s board to size – 2 pieces of board are cut for both the front and back covers (4 pieces total). The thickness of the boards used is dependent on the shoulder of the book.
Determine placement of the board and adhere the middle laminated flange segment to the top of inner board, keeping the top and bottom laminated flange segment under the inner board, unattached. Adhere the outer board to the inner, thus sandwiching the middle laminated flange section between the two boards.
If the original cover is being inlayed, create and attach an inlay border of thin Bristol board to the cover boards, as needed.
Covering the boards:
Attach the spine cloth piece and turn in at the head and tail.
Attach the board cloth to the upper and lower boards and turn in the edges.
Bevel the remaining laminated flanges and sewn on cloth reinforcement (Cambric) slightly and attach both, in sequence, to the inner boards.
Adhere the pastedowns and trim the remaining sewn on Cambric to roughly 1/8” – ¼”.
If there are cover inlays, adhere the inlay(s) to the cover(s) within the inlay border.
Adhere the original spine to the new spine of the case.
Preparing materials in the Lab
Using the board shear to cut bookcloth for the covers
Ready for treatment at home
Cleaning the spine
Removing original adhesive
Textblock fully disbound
Mending & guarding
Sewing the textblock
Sewing on linen tape supports
Newly resewn textblock
Rounding & backing the spine
Reversible layer
Cloth reinforcement layer
Preparing paper layers
Fully lined spine
Creating the laminated flanges
Creating the laminated flanges
Prepared textblock
Preparing cover inlays
Removing original cover art
Removing the backing from inlay
Cutting the boards to size
Attaching the inner board
Inner board attached
Outer board attached with laminated flange between boards
Attaching inlay boarder
Adhering spine cloth
Turning-in spine cloth
Adhering cover cloth
Attaching laminated flanges and cloth reinforcement
Adhering pastedowns
Pasting out inlay
Attaching inlays
Trimming inner cloth hinge
Adhering spine title
Completed treatment
When completed the treatment offers a substantial amount of support to the textblock and a robust attachment of the textblock to the new case. While it is an involved treatment that requires a good amount of preparation, work and skill, the end results are worth it all, and the improvements are significant.
Treatments of this magnitude take many, many hours over the course of several weeks. Often, only a few steps of the treatment can be accomplished at a time to account for drying time, and timing out visits to the Lab. To take a sneak peak at what some of the steps of treatment look like please check out the video below:
For an example of how Kasie used a split-board binding treatment and modified it for a special collection item that came to the Lab from UC’s Winkler Center without a case, check out her blog, A Monster of a Treatment.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into a split-board binding treatment! If you did and you want to see more of what we do, and see the Lab, then please check out our Virtual Lab Tour which will take place on Tuesday, January 26th at noon, live on the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Facebook page. For forthcoming information about the Virtual Tour follow the Public Library on Facebook and follow the Lab on Instagram (@thepreservationlab).
*This treatment was originally designed at the Brigham Young University lab. Then it was brought to the University of Kansas lab by Brian Baird, where our conservator, Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer, learned the treatment and thus brought it to the Preservation Lab.
Every year our staff, students and volunteers look forward to our Student & Volunteer Appreciation day, which we affectionately call “fun day”. It generally takes place in late November or early December, always before finals week. It is a time to show our appreciation for all the hard work our students, volunteers and staff do throughout the year, while having an opportunity to come together and learn some new bookbinding or book arts technique. In the past, we’ve done paper marbling, made handmade paper, created German long stitch binds, and more.
I have been coordinating our student & volunteer appreciation days for almost as long as I’ve been in the Lab, so for at least 12 years now. I love it because I am the type of person who enjoys planning these types of things, but also I love watching a student, volunteer or staff member just get really excited about something new. You never know if it’s going to be that quiet new volunteer who just can’t get enough of paper marbling, or that student who doesn’t have any art background but just does the most amazing pulp paintings ever! So after all these years, the thought of 2020/the pandemic ruining everything and not having any sort of student/volunteer appreciation day was just unacceptable!
I immediately thought, “What types of activities could we do virtually that would be no cost to the lab and would give everyone a couple hours to come together and decompress?” After a little brainstorming with Holly, we came up with a Button Hole Stitch binding (which I had recently learned) and a simple dissolving view. With the help of my wonderful student staff member and cohort buddy, Lexie, I prepped kits for our virtual event, as well as prepared a step by step video on creating a button hole stitch binding.
Here are some of the beautiful creations that came out of our little virtual fun day:
After nearly 5 months of working from home, Preservation Lab staff are finally returning to the Lab and to UC’s campus in a very safe and limited way. In mid-March, like most of the country, UC Libraries and the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library shut down, forcing staff from both institutions to pivot and begin working remotely. After many months of webinars, research, model making, box making, some general collections treatment, and a whole lot of Microsoft Teams meetings and town halls, both institutions are beginning to open back up and offer some services. Luckily for the Lab staff, throughout this period of solely remote work, our UCL co-manager and Preservation Librarian, Holly, would make weekly or bi-weekly runs to the Lab to pick up materials we might need while working from home. We would then schedule our contact-free pick up of requested materials with her. The whole process ran rather smoothly and got us by for many, many months.
Since the Lab is located on UC’s campus, in Langsam Library, the Lab follows UC’s procedures for Returning to Campus. The preparation for returning to the Lab involved a workplace assessment of the space, a phased plan for returning to the Lab (which was vetted and approved), mandatory COVID-19 training, daily wellness checks, mandatory facial coverings, and social distancing.
Jessica and Catarina, all masked up, during one of their first shifts in the Lab.
The Preservation Lab’s plan to return includes the use of a cohort system to reduce exposure and better aid in contact tracing, if needed in the future. For the month of August, two cohorts would go back for 3 to 3 ½ hour shifts, one day a week. For example, cohort #1 consists of Catarina and myself while cohort #2 consists of Kasie and Holly. Cohort #1 goes into the Lab on Monday mornings, while cohort #2 goes in Friday mornings. While working in the Lab, our focus is on production and treatment – this means that we are either actively treating special collections items or working to evaluate, measure or prep materials to take home for treatment or housing.
Catarina working on special collection materials from third party client Conner Prairie.
Catarina working on special collection materials from UC Libraries’ Classics Library.
Materials evaluated and prepped for split board bindings to be done at home by Kasie.
Materials evaluated and prepped for split board bindings to be done at home by Jessica.
We’ve also made slight adjustments to our workspaces so that staff can stay as distanced as possible while they work. For example, Catarina has moved to our student staff bench area since she and I, under normal circumstances, are benchmates and work right across from each other. I don’t think Catarina is minding having all this space to herself to spread out and work on multiple projects at once while she’s in the Lab.
In anticipation for this exciting and overwhelming change – going from working from home for over 4 months and basically living in quarantine to going back into the Lab and onto campus with another human being, while wearing a mask the whole time – we made thoughtful decisions regarding shifts and breaks. We only work 3 to 3 ½ hours at a time and we take individual breaks once an hour in our outdoor space just outside the lab.
Our little jungle oasis, just outside the Lab.
A place where we can go outside, take off our mask, have a snack and breathe some fresh air.
We each have dedicated sanitation supplies to make sure we disinfect before, during and after our shifts. We also decided that we would dispose of our own garbage at home, in order to further restrict access to our floor from non-Lab staff members, like housekeeping. Langsam Library, where the Lab is located, is also using a channel on Microsoft Teams to check-in and out while you are in the building. This not only let’s you know who else is in the building with you, who you might come across while in certain parts of the building (for example, the restroom), but will also give us a fairly accurate record to present to any contact tracing efforts in the future, if needed.
Overall, I think our approach to returning to the Lab has been a thoughtful and cautious one. From UC’s COVID procedures (wellness checks, facial coverings, social distancing, etc.) to our use of the cohort system and the small adjustments made to our workflow and setup, I feel very safe returning to the Lab and very fortunate to have the time/space to prep materials to take home.
Jessica and Catarina wrapping up their shift by sanitizing and taking their garbage with them – while also wearing their masks and distancing!
We are looking forward to expanding our plan in September to possibly include another cohort. Until then, make sure to check out our Instagram (@thePreservationLab) where you can see all the things we’re working on remotely and in the Lab.
In case you missed last night’s Facebook live event “Preserving Your Personal Library”, you can still watch it here on Facebook or on our MediaSpace channel:
Kasie, Catarina and I had a great time doing our first live event, although to be honest we were a bit nervous, however we thought it went quite well!
Part of the livestream included a step-by-step demo on how to create a simple paper slipcase at home. It requires no special tools and is really so easy to make that we encourage you to give it a try! You can find the full instructional video, complete with closed captions on our MediaSpace channel…
We want to send our deepest gratitude and thanks to Austin Winters for guiding us through this livestream and for coordinating everything for us. It was an absolute pleasure working with you, Austin! Also, we want to thank everyone who joined the livestream and for all your wonderful comments; it really means so much to us. And I want to personally thank my co-presenters, Catarina and Kasie, who are truly wonderful colleagues and collaborators.
