Thursday, September 11, 2014 Submitted by Bill Voss With the recent acquisition of a riveter and a board creaser, the Conservation Lab has a new housing option – phase boxes constructed from sturdy 40 point featuring fore edge closures made of nylon string and riveted vinyl washers. Stronger than a regular 20 point four flapContinue reading “New Housing Option for Conservation”
Category Archives: Materials, equipment and procedures
Drying a Wet Book
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 [ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]As a Preservation Librarian, I should know better than to read a book while taking a spa bath. Last week I did just that and dropped my book into the tub. Oops! Luckily I caught it before it was entirely submerged.[/ezcol_1half_end] [ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] I took immediate action. I grabbed someContinue reading “Drying a Wet Book”
Preserving Media
Thursday, April 10, 2014 Submitted by Emily F Shaw In addition to millions of books, journals, and electronic resources, the University of Iowa Libraries is also the permanent home for film, audio, and video collections. Projecting an original 16mm film can be risky, and using playback equipment that is dirty or in disrepair can causeContinue reading “Preserving Media”
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”
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”
Columbia Hand Press
Tuesday, July 9, 2013 Submitted by Jessica Rogers We moved our Columbian hand press from the first floor of the library to the third floor, in front of Special Collections, to make more room for the Learning Commons. If you have not yet had a chance to see it, please, stop by and gaze inContinue reading “Columbia Hand Press”