Thursday, August 21, 2008 The text block of the Bible needed very little repair work. However, the maps needed to be mended and then re-attached to the Bible. It’s very delicate work, especially since the Bible pages are very thin. Here Gary Frost is mending tears and then guarding the pages so they can beContinue reading “Amanda’s Grandma’s Bible Continued”
Author Archives: Nancy E. Kraft
Amanda’s Grandma’s Bible
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 In June Amanda called about her Grandma’s Bible that had been found under the rubble after the May 25th EF5 tornado in Parkersburg. I advised her to wrap it in wax paper and stick it in the freezer until she could bring it down to us for examination and possible conservation work.Continue reading “Amanda’s Grandma’s Bible”
HVAC Augmentation
Monday, August 4, 2008 We were lucky in the Main Library. We have three air handlers and have managed to keep two of the three working. With one out, we needed a way to keep air circulating everywhere. Plastic air tubes were placed strategically throughout the building to augment our HVAC system. Air is brought inContinue reading “HVAC Augmentation”
The Challenge of Unboxing 78s
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 We were amazed to discover that 78s expand when wet. Getting them out of their archival box was no small task. The photos explain the process.
Czech LPs Debut
Thursday, July 24, 2008 The highlight of the day was listening to three Czech LPs that we had salvaged. The covers are wrinkled, tattered, stained, and still have a distinct odor about them. The records have a slight “scent” to them, too, probably from the paper label. CR Gazette Reporter, Alicia Ebaugh , made aContinue reading “Czech LPs Debut”
How to Restore LPs, DVDs, CDs Video Debuts
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 The Gazette was really fast in getting this video posted. It looks pretty good. Bill Voss and Elizabeth Stone did a great job demonstrating how to clean the discs. http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080723/NEWS/695592191/1002/NEWS We continue to make progress on flood recovery efforts. Bryan Stusse has about 1/2 of the Czech LPs inventory completed. Kristin hasContinue reading “How to Restore LPs, DVDs, CDs Video Debuts”
Containing Smells
Monday, July 21, 2008 We think we’ve finally figured out how to contain the smells while cleaning the Czech/Slovak records. The solution turned out to be rather simple. We set the thermostat to continuous air and added a charcoal filter to the airconditioner. Of course, you can still get a “whiff” as you enter the cleaningContinue reading “Containing Smells”
Dead battery and Warped 78s
Friday, July 18, 2008 Our garbage disposal died just after Cedar Rapids flooded. I finally got organized enough to schedule a plumber. I spent the morning organizing my “flood” files. At 10:30, I headed out for my meeting with David to review flood recovery efforts only to discover that the pickup battery was dead. DavidContinue reading “Dead battery and Warped 78s”
Cooked Books
Thursday, July 17, 2008 (continued) This time everything went off as planned and we were in the building shortly after 7PM! The first thing we noticed was how incredibly hot and dry it was – 98.2 degrees with R/H 30%! The air tubes are shut down but they have achieved good air flow with fans. Kristin andContinue reading “Cooked Books”
False Alarm
Thursday, July 17, 2008 The Cedar Rapids Gazette announced the posting of Susan Hansen’s “How to Repair Flood Damaged Books” at http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080717/NEWS/325405342 She did a great job! The name is a little misleading as the video is about cleaning and drying out books not repairing. Oh, well. Beth and I went over to the OakdaleContinue reading “False Alarm”