Friday, February 14, 2014 Submitted by Brenna Campbell As part of our normal digitization workflow, all rare materials being scanned are first assessed for condition problems by the Conservation Department. Last week, during an assessment of the McDill family papers, we ran across this mysterious folded letter. Written on both sides were numbered sets ofContinue reading “A Valentine’s Day Surprise”
Category Archives: Book & paper conservation
Fixing a detached cover
Tuesday, November 26, 2013 The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library recently acquired this sweet chunky 19th century religious text and brought it into the lab. The binding had broken away from the text block after the first signature because it was so large. The cover was consolidated and the hinges were repaired withContinue reading “Fixing a detached cover”
Clay Tablet Gets Custom Box
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Submitted by Bill Voss This neo-Sumerian clay tablet, recording the sacrifice of a kid goat dates to ca. 2050 B.C. and is frequently shown to students as an early example of writing in cuneiform accompanied by the impression of a cylinder seal. Due to its frequent use it was decided toContinue reading “Clay Tablet Gets Custom Box”
The Wunderkammer at Grinnell: Supporting Foldouts
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 Submitted by Brenna Campbell Many of the books in the Wunderkammer show at Grinnell had elaborate foldout illustrations, which required custom supports. These were typically made separately from the cradle, and were often strapped into place once the book was in its display case. It was important to strap the bookContinue reading “The Wunderkammer at Grinnell: Supporting Foldouts”
The Wunderkammer at Grinnell: Making Custom Cradles
Friday, November 1, 2013 Submitted by Brenna Campbell After all 93 items for the Wunderkammer show were unpacked and condition checked, they were prepared for exhibition. The most time consuming part of the process was constructing custom mounts for the 76 books being displayed. Bill and Brenna used a polyester sheet material called Vivak®, whichContinue reading “The Wunderkammer at Grinnell: Making Custom Cradles”
The Wunderkammer at Grinnell: Unpacking and Condition Checking
Tuesday, October 29, 2013 Submitted by Brenna Campbell Conservation Technician Bill Voss and Assistant Conservator Brenna Campbell recently returned from a trip to Grinnell College’s Faulconer Gallery, where they spent seven days installing the exhibition “From Wunderkammer to the Modern Museum, 1606-1884”. Ninety three items from the collection of Florence Fearrington were unpacked, checked forContinue reading “The Wunderkammer at Grinnell: Unpacking and Condition Checking”
Tool Making for Conservation and Book Arts
Tuesday, August 27, 2013 Last month Conservation Technician Bill Voss served as a Studio Assistant to instructor Shanna Leino, during a two week class at the Penland School of Crafts on Tool Making for Book Arts. Shanna is a well known tool maker and alumna of the UI Center for the Book, whose tools andContinue reading “Tool Making for Conservation and Book Arts”
Anna Marie Mitchell Items Get Custom Enclosures
Thursday, August 22, 2013 Take a look at a couple of the newest enclosures our very own “box lady” Linda Lundy has completed. Linda has been working on some items from the Iowa Womens Archive (IWA). The latest items come from Anna Marie Mitchell. Here is some info on Anna Marie Mitchell from Karen Mason, CuratorContinue reading “Anna Marie Mitchell Items Get Custom Enclosures”
Book Repair Reback-a-thon
Wednesday August 14, 2013 Submitted by Susan Hansen Our goal in the UI Libraries’ book repair unit is to return a circulating book to the shelf as soon as possible; however, sustained speed is not a top qualification for our students. In the day-to-day operation of the unit, we don’t have races. But when IContinue reading “Book Repair Reback-a-thon”
Kent Theater Photos Rehousing Project
Friday, August 2, 2013 Submitted by Lindsay Shettler The theatre photographs from the Frederick W. Kent Collection of Photographs are currently being stabilized, digitized, and rehoused for Special Collections. The theater photographs are organized by year and production. The first batch of photographs are pre-1936, many of these prints have unknown dates ranging from the lateContinue reading “Kent Theater Photos Rehousing Project”