Book Repairs: Extending the Life of Your Library Collection

By Abigail Creitz, Technical Services Librarian

Have you ever pulled a library book off the shelf by the top of the spine? That action puts stress on what bookbinders call the “head cap.” Have you ever picked up a book by its front or back cover and noticed it feels loose from the spine? Bookbinders refer to that as a “loose hinge.” What about turning a page as it comes loose from the rest of the book? Books are meant to be used, but can become damaged in the process. In the past, some of these books might have been rebound, but many others might have been discarded. Now, in an effort to breathe new life into a larger number of our heavily worn books, the Technical Services department has begun a book repair project. Shake Learning Resource Center books are now being fixed in-house with new cloth spines, reinforced head caps, tightened hinges, and mended pages. We take great pleasure in making these repairs to ensure our patrons have continued access to all our volumes for many years to come!
(Above: Tools of the book repair trade.)