{"id":3565,"date":"2021-11-23T13:42:11","date_gmt":"2021-11-23T18:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/?p=3565"},"modified":"2021-11-23T16:00:05","modified_gmt":"2021-11-23T21:00:05","slug":"an-oversized-enclosure-that-slays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/2021\/11\/an-oversized-enclosure-that-slays","title":{"rendered":"An Oversized Enclosure that “Slays”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Winter is approaching here in Cincinnati, far too quickly for my taste! \u00a0But at the Lab we have been thinking about a winter staple a bit differently… The sled! \u00a0A book sled, that is.\u00a0 This open-topped carrier of bound treasures has become the newest edition to our enclosure family. It is perfect for housing oversized books to be stored flat, as it enables easy transport of these large tomes, without adding too much extra weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The sled has been honed and developed over the years by conservation professionals, but it has its roots at the Newberry in Chicago, where they were used to house their large antiphonary collection. I had the privilege of working at the Newberry prior to joining the incredible team here at The Preservation Lab, so the idea of starting to create book sleds at the Lab has been lurking at the back of my mind. At the Newberry, I was able to create my very first book sled, and understand the simple, yet highly functional structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An
Photo of a sled at the Newberry Library courtesy of Henry Harris.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"An
Photo of a sled at the Newberry Library courtesy of Henry Harris. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The book sled was refined by Ann Lindsey and Melina Avery from the University of Chicago when they treated and housed a 52-pound antiphonary from their collection. They were able to design a sled with additional walls and stronger reinforcements. Chris Saclolo from the University of Central Florida further enhanced the book sled by adding wall reinforcements and a removable lower tray<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 When the Lab received an elephant folio from the University of Cincinnati Classic\u2019s Library that needed treatment and housing, we were able to create the very first book sled at our Lab! Housing a book over 20 inches tall is no easy feat, so we were thrilled to be able to use the experience and advice from our fellow conservation professionals. I worked alongside Chris Voynovich and Catarina Figueirinhas (because 3 minds are so much better than 1) where we problem solved, planned, and constructed this large book sled. The finished sled design closely follows Saclolo\u2019s recommendations, with minor adjustments to the tray, as our book did not have bosses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n