Skip to content

The University of Iowa Libraries

Skip to content
Go to
InfoHawk+
University of Iowa Libraries University of Iowa Libraries The University of Iowa The University of Iowa Libraries

Conservation & Collections Care News

PLEASE NOTE



This post is more than two years old. Read it with that in mind. Thank you.
Three books with digitized images of their original cover printed on the new binding
Dec 17 2018

Contrasting commercial library binding options

Posted on December 17, 2018December 31, 2018 by Shelby Strommer

Blog post by Abigail Evans, student employee, and Nancy Kraft, head of Preservation & Conservation

Three books with digitized images of their original cover printed on the new binding
DigiCover bindings use a printed image of the original book cover. Click image to view larger.
Stack of books bound in cloth
Standard library bindings are covered with solid-color cloth. Click image to view larger.

This fall we took some time to review our two commercial bindery practices for monographs: DigiCovers and standard solid-color library bindings. DigiCovers are created by color-copying and laminating original covers to make new ones using advanced photocopying techniques. While solid-color bindings make rebound books look “spiffy” and new, DigiCovers show the wear and tear of original covers and leave old library stamp markings untouched. This preserves the character of the book, as well as the original cover design.

Samples of rebound books from this month’s bindery shipment are pictured above. We love seeing the story of the book’s use preserved by the DigiCover – tears, creases, and old stamps. If you look closely at the first photo, you can see the weave of the original cloth used to bind the black and gold book.

In addition to gaining a sense of the history of the book as artifact, staff processing time is significantly reduced. With DigiCovers, there is no need to type up the author and title on the order form. Plus, as the photos illustrate, the covers for these books contain more than just a title and author name. They contain the vibrant details about the book’s history and use.

Posted in Materials, equipment and procedures

Post navigation

Katelyn Foster wins Bentz Scholarship
Dong Dong wins Graduate Student Employee Academic Enrichment Award

Categories

  • 30th Anniversary
  • African American Museum of Iowa
  • Art library
  • Awards
  • Book & paper conservation
  • Book Intervention
  • Book Model Collection
  • Community, outreach, education, and events
  • Digital preservation
  • Digital reformatting
  • Disaster recovery
  • Disaster response
  • Flood Recovery
  • Grants, outside funding
  • Intergovernmental Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (UNESCO, IOC)
  • Johnson County Historical Society
  • Main library
  • Materials, equipment and procedures
  • Mold, insects, and other agents of deterioration
  • Music library
  • National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
  • News Archive
  • Oakdale campus
  • Object conservation
  • outreach
  • remote work
  • Resilience of Book Transmission
  • staff
  • Storage environments
  • Tips
  • Uncategorized
  • William Anthony Conservation Lecture

Archives

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

More links

  • Preservation News via Email
  • More Library Feeds
  • Preservation Department
  • Flood of 2008 Slideshows
  • More Flood Recovery Photos
  • Link to Resources
  • Future of the Book
  • Library Preservation 2
  • What would Ranganathan do?
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Zoia by Automattic.
University of Iowa Libraries University of Iowa Libraries The University of Iowa The University of Iowa Libraries
  • Contact the Libraries
  • Library locations & hours
  • News & Events
  • Help using the Libraries
  • Assistance for people with disabilities
  • Our diversity statement
  • Thank a Librarian
  • Web site/page feedback OR general suggestions
  • UI Libraries other links UI Libraries in the Internet Archive Use and reuse of UI Libraries web content - Creative Commons Staff SharePoint (authentication required)
  • UI Libraries on social media UI Libraries on Instagram UI Libraries on Facebook UI Libraries on Twitter UI Libraries on Pinterest UI Libraries on Tumblr UI Libraries on YouTube UI Libraries on Flickr UI Libraries blogs
  • 100 Main Library (LIB)
  • 125 West Washington St.
  • Iowa City, IA 52242-1420
  • 319-335-5299 (Service Desk)
  • ©2019 The University of Iowa
  • Give a gift to the Libraries!