Tales from Behind the Desk: Book Repair
Welcome back to tales from behind the desk! Our Circulation staff have seen some wild things over the years and they’re finally here to tell you some of the weirdest things they’ve witnessed…behind the desk. Check back monthly for more tales of weirdness!
We wanted to talk to you all about something very magical: book repair! Marie, book repair specialist, takes pride and care into fixing our injured book friends.
Here are some of the adhesives that Marie uses:
1. PVA, acid free adhesive book glue
2. Single or double stitched binder tape
3. Book hinge tape
4. Preservation tape
5. Transparent tape
6. Easy bind repair tape
Here are some tools that aid in repair:
from L TO R:
1. Glue brush (these come in many different sizes and shapes)
2. Label remover
3. Glue spreader (for teeny tiny spaces)
4. Medical-grade scalpel (per Marie, it works way better than a X-acto Knife)
5. Magic Rub eraser (a really good eraser for delicate things)
6. Bone folder
7. Weights
8. Filmoplast (good for torn pages w/o using tape)
9. Wax paper
10. Binder clips
And don’t forget these handy dandy gadgets made in-house: the Book Press and Brick (inside its knit sweater).
The number one tip Marie has for everyone is: if it’s broken, please don’t fix it yourself. One the book is “fixed” using scotch tape, Marie is unable to do any further repair. Plus Marie loves to fix books, so by not doing it yourself, you give her more fun things to do!
Here is a book in need of repair. Marie used some book hinge tape and glue to get this spine back together. One it has been repaired it goes under the book press so that the tape and glue can be set and have time to dry before the book is circulated again.
