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Disaster Preparedness in the Main Library

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 This spring and summer in Iowa City has brought lots of different types of weather and with that lots of different events to be prepared for.  We were in a severe drought for most the winter and early spring, then the rains started.  At the end of May as the riverContinue reading “Disaster Preparedness in the Main Library”

Elizabethan Pocket Almanac

Friday, June 21, 2013 Submitted by Pamela Olson* During the second week of PBI, I participated in a workshop by Pamela Spitzmueller, former conservator for the University of Iowa Libraries and currently a rare book conservator for Harvard University. The focus of her workshop was to study and create a model of an Elizabethan pocketContinue reading “Elizabethan Pocket Almanac”

Respirator Fit Testing

Tuesday, June 4, 2013 Last week I attended the American Institute for Conservation annual meeting. To keep up with my disaster response training, I went to all the sessions of particular interest to AIC-CERT (Collections Emergency Response Team) members. One session was on respirator fitness testing, including the actual fitness test. Before we could takeContinue reading “Respirator Fit Testing”

Map Conservation Challenge

Tuesday, May 28, 2013 One particular map from the “History of the Expedition under the Command of Captain Lewis and Clark, 1814” was a particular challenge. It presented a great opportunity to treat a very important map that was in much need of repair. The map, depicting Lewis and Clark’s route and the first mapContinue reading “Map Conservation Challenge”

Vinzani’s Papermaking class at PBI

Thursday, May 23, 2013 Submitted by Pamela Olson Bernie Vinanzi, a veteran papermaker who trained at Twinrocker Handmade Paper and now teaches papermaking at the University of Maine at Machias, taught a workshop with a focus on paper history, fiber selection, and sheet formation. Workshop participants designed their own watermarks and made a wide rangeContinue reading “Vinzani’s Papermaking class at PBI”

Islamic Binding with Yasmeen Kahn

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 Submitted by Kathleen Tandy For my second session class at PBI, I took An Introduction to Islamic Binding with Yasmeen Kahn from the Library of Congress. She explained that in the Islamic tradition calligraphy is the most important aspect of book. The binding is secondary, but that doesn’t mean it can’tContinue reading “Islamic Binding with Yasmeen Kahn”

Turning the Corner – Leather Paring with Jeff Altepeter

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Submitted by Kathleen Tandy In my first week session course at PBI, I took a leather paring class with Jeff Altepeter from the North Bennett Street School. The tricks I learned in his course were well worth the price of admissions. I feel so much more comfortable on the Sharf-fix paringContinue reading “Turning the Corner – Leather Paring with Jeff Altepeter”

University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections Now on the Road

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 Several items from the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections are now a part of the exhibit “Marking Territory, Cartographic Treasures of the Mississippi River and the World Beyond,” March 2- June 16, 2013 at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport. http://www.figgeartmuseum.org/ Curator Rima Girnius from the Figge, worked with MaryContinue reading “University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections Now on the Road”

Preservation Pencil in Action

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 The Conservation lab recently acquired a Preservation Pencil from Preservation Equipment Ltd. It takes cold moisture from an ultrasonic humidifier and heats it to any desired temperature up to 100 C, producing a thin stream of fine, heated mist suitable for local humidification where it is not possible or desirable toContinue reading “Preservation Pencil in Action”

Teaching Moments at CRC

Thursday, February 14, 2013 All the work on the artwork damaged by Hurrican Sandy is done by volunteers. It’s a great opportunity for an intern to learn about assessing and cleaning paintings while on the job with a volunteer conservator. Today we had a student volunteer who is studying to become a paintings conservator. SheContinue reading “Teaching Moments at CRC”