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

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.