Out first Field Trip to the U of M Bindery was interesting. First of all it was not in a part of town that I expected. For some unknown reason I thought that the bindery would be right in the middle of the U's campus, near the library. However after going there and learning about the different things that the bindery does it makes sense. If you serve so many facilities it doesn't make sense to stay close to only one of them. I was pretty surprised at some of the machines. I especially found the hand sewing processing startling. The machines that they were using were so far from modern they looked somewhat out of place. However, some of the other machines were actually more dangerous than I thought. Just looking at some of the stuff that was around was somewhat scary. When our guide showed how they trim pages, I was a little shocked. I understand that there are A LOT of safety features on those machines but then he was saying that they change the blades themseleves! That seems far from safe. Also the whole process of trimming pages makes me wonder how many times a book could be re-bound before it is impossible to do anything with. Or is that when you turn to some place like the Minnesota historical society to preserve the item?
I don't know why but I origionally thoguht that a book bindery would be like a well- run shop. In fact it was more like a factory. I was also surprised at how their numbers had gone down. I found it interesting that they used to have people basically at every station working on something and would get as many students as they could and now they have people that jump from one area to another in order to have enough to do and only a few students. But it was also interesting that the Google Books project the U is working on is adding work for the bindery! I would not have thought that by scanning books you would need to rebind them, but I was happy to hear that the bindery would be able to compensate for that need. I really was really surprised at how quickly the books and periodicals could be re-bound, but I was surprised that paper played such a role in how the binding went. When our guide was talking about magazine paper versus normal paper I had realized that the texture of paper and how saturated with ink it was could cause that much of a difference!
I asked if theft was a problem, as it seems that books could go missing. Especially since we have learned how the unpacking process is where books are most vulnerable to theft when they are delivered to the library. While he said it wasn't an issue, I wonder if is more of one at larger facilities and at actual publishing houses? I wonder a publishing house has an insurance policy like the bindery does.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Class Reading - Ch. 14 &15
Chapter 14: Commercial Library Binding
I found chapter 14 to be really informative, far more than the title actually implied. I wasn't surprised that for many libraries the main concern is to fix things now, rather than try to preserve things from the beginning for the long-term future. However one thing that stuck out to me was that the managerial structure of the institution would have the most affect on how the program is run. I am not that surprised now that I have thought about the
way an administration could change what is a priority in the library. I have had positions where one administrator wanted one thing, and then you get a new administrator who changes the policies and things change! It would make sense that the same is true in a library as well. If you have a administration that is very concerned about the long term maintenance of its collection they would put a much larger emphasis on things like shelving books correctly and reinforcing things before they are even put on the shelves in the first place! versus just trying to fix things later on. I wonder how long this would last. Basically when that administration leaves, or retires, and the new administration no longer cares about long term conservation, would it become noticeable that materials before they started we lasting longer than newer materials?
Chapter 15: Preservation Microfilming and Photocopying
Until I read this chapter I had no idea that libraries had used so many microfilms, and that it was such a reasonable way to make a longer lasting copy of materials. I was especially surprised when the chapter said that the life expectancy of items on microfilm was 500 years. That seems crazy to me....but reasonable. However it makes me wonder what will happen after this point, and as fantastic as that sounds, I just wonder if there needs to be some introduction to the general populace of your library to the use of microfilm. I don't know a lot of people that use microfilm. And I hate to be that person, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to have something last for 500 years if no one will use it.
I found chapter 14 to be really informative, far more than the title actually implied. I wasn't surprised that for many libraries the main concern is to fix things now, rather than try to preserve things from the beginning for the long-term future. However one thing that stuck out to me was that the managerial structure of the institution would have the most affect on how the program is run. I am not that surprised now that I have thought about the
way an administration could change what is a priority in the library. I have had positions where one administrator wanted one thing, and then you get a new administrator who changes the policies and things change! It would make sense that the same is true in a library as well. If you have a administration that is very concerned about the long term maintenance of its collection they would put a much larger emphasis on things like shelving books correctly and reinforcing things before they are even put on the shelves in the first place! versus just trying to fix things later on. I wonder how long this would last. Basically when that administration leaves, or retires, and the new administration no longer cares about long term conservation, would it become noticeable that materials before they started we lasting longer than newer materials?
Chapter 15: Preservation Microfilming and Photocopying
Until I read this chapter I had no idea that libraries had used so many microfilms, and that it was such a reasonable way to make a longer lasting copy of materials. I was especially surprised when the chapter said that the life expectancy of items on microfilm was 500 years. That seems crazy to me....but reasonable. However it makes me wonder what will happen after this point, and as fantastic as that sounds, I just wonder if there needs to be some introduction to the general populace of your library to the use of microfilm. I don't know a lot of people that use microfilm. And I hate to be that person, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to have something last for 500 years if no one will use it.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Class Oct 7th, Readings - Ch. 8 & 13
During class we discussed security and staff training, which is something that has already come up in basically every class I have taken at St. Kate's. I agreed with everything we discussed about what you staff would need to know in regards to security and training, but I found it interesting that the class had come up so many ways for an administrator the ability to disseminate information to your staff is key in keeping thing security and keeping your preservation plan in place. I did love that it was commented that people really learn "on-the-fly"...I feel that for most people experience is what you use to really learn about something. In fact, I feel that regardless of how much knowledge you have, you need actual experience. Think about the medical profession: it takes years of study before you are allowed experience with actual patients, and even then you are still supervised. While the library profession is not quite the same as the medical I do think the same concept applies.
Chapter 8: Collections and Stack Management
I had not truly realized the entirety of what collection management meant. I always thought it meant working to preserve the items that you currently have in your library. Specifically to keep damage from happening in the present. I had not thought of it as preserving items through access and storage from when the library receives the item until it is deaccessioned. I also had not thought about how the responsibility of the items can be traced to multiple institutions, especially when the item could be circulated to multiple institutions. It makes sense then that the institutions policies would be important. It has really surprised me how over and over again the book has reiterated the idea that the library's policy is really what defines how library's treat their materials. It makes sense but I had always thought it was more about the librarians and how the patrons treated their materials.
Chapter 13: The Conservation of General Collections
I really liked how the text pointed out the differences of working to preserve a general collection rather than a special collection. It makes sense that with a general collection you have to be much more concerned with exposure to the elements and how patrons are treating the books (Its not like a library where people request books and then they are brought out but never allowed to leave the room!). I did appreciate that the text pointed out that it entirely depends on the resources of the library when you consider treatment options for fixing materials. Again the book pointed out the need for a good library policy, and the need for the staff, from administration down to pages, to follow that policy.
Chapter 8: Collections and Stack Management
I had not truly realized the entirety of what collection management meant. I always thought it meant working to preserve the items that you currently have in your library. Specifically to keep damage from happening in the present. I had not thought of it as preserving items through access and storage from when the library receives the item until it is deaccessioned. I also had not thought about how the responsibility of the items can be traced to multiple institutions, especially when the item could be circulated to multiple institutions. It makes sense then that the institutions policies would be important. It has really surprised me how over and over again the book has reiterated the idea that the library's policy is really what defines how library's treat their materials. It makes sense but I had always thought it was more about the librarians and how the patrons treated their materials.
Chapter 13: The Conservation of General Collections
I really liked how the text pointed out the differences of working to preserve a general collection rather than a special collection. It makes sense that with a general collection you have to be much more concerned with exposure to the elements and how patrons are treating the books (Its not like a library where people request books and then they are brought out but never allowed to leave the room!). I did appreciate that the text pointed out that it entirely depends on the resources of the library when you consider treatment options for fixing materials. Again the book pointed out the need for a good library policy, and the need for the staff, from administration down to pages, to follow that policy.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Class - September 23rd (Assignment 2 - Literature Review)
This week's assignment was not exactly what I expected. I really thought that it would be a rather easy and straight forward affair. However, it really wasn't. It took me much longer than I thought it would. While the different areas were well marked out, for some of the topics I would first have to go to the library encyclopedia that St. Kate's has access to in order to confirm what the topics were. I also found things that I hadn't expected when searching different topics. When I was looking up an article for Digital Preservation I found a great article that described the overall way preservation techniques and how it has developed. Which is rather good since I was having a hard time finding an article otherwise. It's not like typing the search term "Preservation" or "library preservation" into a search engine will get me what I wanted. There were WAY too many articles. I started to feel like a failure for a librarian. I should be able to find a simple article! Of course I did find it when I wasn't actually looking for that topic....Otherwise the major issue I was having was finding things no older than 2007. Occasionally I would forget to limit my search and then I would find the perfect article, and it would be from 2001 or from 1998. How annoying. In the end the assignment did allow me to look at a lot of different articles and learn how many aspects there are to so many topics withing the umbrella topic of 'Preservation'.
Class on Sept 23rd was interesting . The "rainy day story" was especially enlightening. I personally understand exactly why you would save items by freezing them, but I don't know if I would have immediately thought of it. Of course it was not a surprise me that the food service people wanted their freezer back after a couple weeks. It was especially interesting that you could use a freezer to dry books. I can see how this would take a really long time and would not be that easy, but for specialty items its a good way to help the items dry out. It makes me wonder about any other short-cuts or random ways that can be used to save books in emergency situations. Hopefully we will hear more in the future!
Class on Sept 23rd was interesting . The "rainy day story" was especially enlightening. I personally understand exactly why you would save items by freezing them, but I don't know if I would have immediately thought of it. Of course it was not a surprise me that the food service people wanted their freezer back after a couple weeks. It was especially interesting that you could use a freezer to dry books. I can see how this would take a really long time and would not be that easy, but for specialty items its a good way to help the items dry out. It makes me wonder about any other short-cuts or random ways that can be used to save books in emergency situations. Hopefully we will hear more in the future!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Class Reading - Leaflets 1-6, Section 2
This weeks class reading was 6 'leaflets' explaining various environmental concerns regarding Preservation and Conservation of materials. These covered quite a bit of ground and one thing I had not really thought of in regard to maintaining materials was temperature. Especially in regards to the concern of a book after it has been in cold storage. Odgen, in leaflet 2.1 states, "...the radical, rapid temperature changes [materials] experience may cause condensation on them." They suggest gradual acclimation of materials. This seems like a logical idea, but also one that I would imagine can be overlooked rather easily (much as many children have accidentally killed their fish after changing the tank water and putting the fish right back in the water).
I also thought the comment that the perfect place to keep materials is a cool, sealed box in a windowless room was rather striking. While this may hep maintain the materials is isn't reasonable for the average (or really, any) library. However it makes a good point. Light can be very damaging: one of my memories from before the invention of the DVD was the VHS tapes had melted from sitting in the sun that video rental stores would use to demonstrate 'unacceptable treatment'. While damage to books from light may not be as noticeable as quickly it makes sense that it is something to be concerned about. This made me wonder about throw the physical space of libraries have changed as newer preservation and conservation practices have developed. Is it more common for new libraries to have a different layout? new windows? different heating/cooling technologies?
This question had me searching for information on the newer libraries in the Twin Cities area. I found a news article http://www.startribune.com/local/west/93811564.html?page=2&c=y about the new Maple Grove Library (opened May of this year) which mentions various aspects of its design including windows, heating/cooling, and user-friendliness. Looking at pictures of this new building (on the library web site: http://www.hclib.org/News.cfm?ID=4548&agency=MG ) I have noticed a few things. In order to make the Maple Grove Library a 'community center' the library has added LOTS of windows and an outside reading area (talk about books being exposed to light! Yikes!) and an automated sorting machine for the book return (which can't be that kind to books). However the library also has taken pains to maintain constant temperture control: they have a heating/cooling system that works with an outside water source and they grow plants on the roof of the building (which regulates temperature and helps water run-off which would prevent water damage to materials in the future). Does this mean that all libraries sacrifice some of their conservation and preservation effort to satisfy the patron's needs? After looking at this I have begun to think that it does, in order to satisfy your patrons, whomever they may be, you need to take into account what they need. Which is why your collection won't be in a sealed box in a windowless room.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Class - September 9 (Assignment 1: Web Site Reviews)
The first class had me thinking a lot about how materials are cared for, what environment they are in and how various things can affect their longevity. It made me wonder about how the region of the world a library is located in could affect its materials, and how that affects the library's budget. Wouldn't you need a larger budget dedicated to having a controlled budget in an area of the world where there was more humidity, or where the weather was less predicable? I have been trying to find resources on this, however I can't seem to find much. I'm not surprised as many libraries don't necessarily have it in a specific part of their budget as it would include air conditioning/heating, materials, etc. I am guessing that while it costs a good portion of money in order to really find out if location changes how much is spent you would need to look at similar-sized libraries in various places throughout the country and go over detailed budgets and look for information on these areas.
After going through the first class I had a much better idea on how to go about looking for web sites to review for assignment #1. However, it was still difficult to find reasonable websites that would work for the assignment. I found web sites where the topic was Preservation or Conservation, however it was not necessarily geared toward Library professionals. I also found websites for specific libraries, like Harvard or Cornell, however these sites were for their specific library, which makes it rather useless for the assignment. I did find 3 websites that could work. I am adding the links below and will chose two for the assignment. I also found a very good example article of a web site review from College & Research Libraries News so I think I have a good handle on the first assignment.
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