|
|
|
|
|
|
LAPNews
Newsletter of the Los
Angeles Preservation Network, Inc.
Number 2 June 1996
My father was an old-fashioned general practitioner or G.P., a doctor who made house calls (those were the good old days). I remember that at I some point when I was in high school, he was no longer referred to as a general practitioner -- he had become a "family physician". Apparently, the AMA realized that medical students were spurning general practice for the more glamorous (and highly paid) specialties, like internal medicine, and decided that to attract more medical students, they had to make general practice sound like a specialty. Hence, family medicine. To encourage this, the AMA then required general practitioners, er, I mean family physicians, to take continuing education courses to ensure that they stay current in their "specialty".
While LAPNet has never billed itself as such, fostering the concept of continuing education is a large part of what we do. With workshops such as the one on book repair that's described in this issue of LAPNews, or our upcoming conferences on the preservation of photo- graphic materials and site facilities analysis, we are obviously proponents of keeping ourselves (along with our colleagues) fresh and up-to-date.
Gloria Scott's article in this issue about her experience as a preservation intern, after having spent 15 years as a professional librarian, also brings home the importance of continuing education.
However, the need for this effort was underscored for me by an article in the Los Angeles Times that listed the most desirable jobs for those entering the job market -- among those listed was "Cybrarians". Defined as an information specialist who "surfs" the internet conducting research, the "cybrarian" is what we may be evolving into. In other words, as general practice evolved as a necessity into family medicine, we may all, with the changing nature of our field, be evolving into preservation cybrarians or holders of degrees in Cybrary Science.
-Kay Salz. Warner Bros. Feature Animation. LAPNet Chair 1995:96.
The first issue of LAPNews included a list of the Steering Committee's nine priority action items (p.3: A Bracing Response). The newsletter itself represents a positive response to item 5. A program on facilities analysis will be held in the Fall of this year (item 7). LAPNet has taken the first steps towards compiling a list of local area disaster response consultants (item 6) and a register of volunteer disaster response teams (item 4). This issue of LAPNews contains a brief questionnaire, that will give us the information we need to create the two lists. Also in preparation are new editions of the List of Disaster Supplies and Suppliers and the list of Disaster Consultants(item 1). The editor.
Many years ago l was doing some research in a 1 developing country. I visited the National Library and was pleased to find that they had listed in their card catalog a periodical that I had been searching for.
There were no open stacks in this library and I had to fill out a form, that was given to a book pager. I waited and waited, and, after about three hours.(no exaggeration!).a triumphant pager returned with a dusty box.
We opened the box together only to discover that the bound volume had
been chewed to pieces by mice. The pager looked sympathetic, smiled simply,
and responded, "Oh well! never mind, Sir." David Hirsch. Jewish .Studies
Bibliographer. UCLA Library.
In November of 1994 a flyer crossed my desk announcing a "Preservation Internship Opportunity at UC Berkeley for a California Librarian." Interested, I began to peruse the paper announcing this LSCA grant from the California State Library. I thought to myself, "I can do this!!"
As the Heritage Room Librarian for the Corona Public Library in Riverside County for the past 15 years I had always looked for ways to expand my knowledge for preserving the specialized materials in my care. The announcement intrigued me because I also hoped that the internship would update the "preservation knowledge" and training that I had received 20 years before at the Northeast Document Conservation Center. I was also thinking that a brief hiatus from my current position would give me that breath of fresh air and change that I seemed to need at this point in my career.
The interview took place in November with the Conservation Department supervisors Lynn Jones and Ann Swartzell, Administrative Assistant Cameron Olen, and Department Head, Barclay Ogden. I was thrilled to find that Lynn Jones had studied at the University of Rhode Island where I had also received my MLS, and Ann Swartzell remembered touring my preservation lab at the Indiana State Library and Archives while working on her MLS. I immediately felt like it was "old home week" and I proceeded to answer their questions with directness and honesty. I clearly came away from the interview with the knowledge that their objectives were to achieve a major goal of the California Preservation Plan (see end of article for more details on the Plan), to assist the UC Berkeley Conservation Department staff, and to increase the knowledge and awareness of the intern in the current issues in the preservation field. I was very pleased to hear of my acceptance in January and to find out that I would soon be a full time intern at the University. The grant paid for my salary, one round trip travel reimbursement, as well as my living expenses from May through September. This was very helpful, as commuting from Corona was definitely out of the question. My internship colleagues were Marilyn McDonald, archivist from Foothill De Anza Community College who worked 80% of the time, and Linda Sitterding, Librarian from Fresno County Public Library, who worked 50%.
Interns spent many hours utilizing the on-line computers and the library collections to study up on disaster preparedness and response, preservation needs assessment, and checking bibliographic entries on a variety of preservation topics. All of the interns compiled a basic bibliography of select titles that they would purchase for their home libraries from the grant money. It was interesting to see that though we all chose many of the same titles, at least as many were different depending on our library's collections and our own personal preferences. Workshop and training time was spent with department staff on rebinding and reformatting techniques, microfilming projects, mending and repair, discussions with the book and paper conservators, disaster preparedness and preservation needs assessment. Each intern developed a disaster response plan for their own institution. We also traveled to other sites: the conservation and microfilm departments at Stanford University, Bay Microfilm, the conservation lab at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the University Bindery, as well as the new California State Library and the State Archives buildings.
During these five months the interns were challenged to come up with ideas that could benefit the California Preservation Plan. Together we performed three, two-day workshops around the state on disaster response planning. We also developed an informative brochure that we will use at a poster session at the California Library Association's conference in November 1995. Details are still being worked out for holding a preservation needs assessment workshop in our own regions, and for a talk on the internship at the 1996 SAA annual meeting in San Diego.
While improving our own knowledge and skills with book repair techniques we tried to help eliminate some of the backlog of books needing repair in the conservation lab. We really grew to appreciate the overwhelming tasks faced by the preservation administrators, conservators and technicians. Interns assisted staff with some newspaper and manuscript microfilming projects, thereby studying preparation techniques and quality control. Marilyn and I conducted a preservation needs assessment survey of the undergraduate collection in the Moffitt Library using CALIPR. By using this automated surveying tool we quickly gained greater awareness of how CALIPR could benefit a library's mending, repair and bookbinding program through automated preservation reports.
The Corona Public Library also benefited from the internship. Through the extra salary money they received they were able to cross train two other librarians in different divisions and hired two part-time Library Assistants. The Library also acquired $1000 worth of preservation materials to be used for reference and research. In addition my knowledge and understanding of the Internet increased 100%, and hopefully this will help me considerably when I return to work at the adult reference desk in October.
When my exit interview took place on September 21st with Barclay Ogden, Lynn Jones, Ann Swartzell and Cameron Olen I realized how much had really been accomplished in a short time. The internship program will continue in 1995-1996. I would like to encourage anyone interested in this program to contact Lynn Jones at the University of California Berkeley, Conservation Department or myself. It is definitely worthwhile. If you are going through a mid-life career crisis and want to get back on track, or you just want to learn more about preservation, this program is definitely for you. (Contacts: Lynn Jones, Univ. of Calif., Conservation Dept., 416 Doe Library, Berkeley, CA 94720, 510-643- 28843, Ljones@Library.Berkeley.edu or Gloria Scott, Heritage Room Librarian, Corona Public Library, 650 South Main, Corona, CA 91720, gscott@aol.com.
The California Preservation Plan was distributed in 1995 and is available from the California State Library The purpose of the plan was to establish: a central focus on the current preservation issues; assistance in identifying and prioritizing materials in need of preservation; provide information about networking activities in California; sponsor programs, workshops and training sessions on the preservation of books, photographs, papers and microforms; introduce statewide and regional initiatives that identify and preserve important archival and library materials; and assist in developing cooperative and coordinated preservation efforts. The Internship at the University of California, Berkeley is just one small part introduced to help us achieve the programs outlined in the California Preservation Plan. (California State Library, Library Development Services, 900 N Street 7 Suite 500, Sacramento, CA 95814, 916-654-0183.)
-Gloria Scott (Corona Public Library)
LAPNet Workshop Report: a report on the 17 July 1995 LAPNet workshop
The Los Angeles Preservation Network (LAPNet) sponsored the Book Repair for circulating Collections workshop on 17 July 1995 at the University of California Los Angeles. Approximately 30 people attended the workshop. Participants ranged from librarians and library assistants to curators, and they came from all over Southern California, including Riverside and San Diego. The workshop was taught by Romaine Ahlstrom of Los Angeles Public Library, Christopher Coleman of UCLA, Gretchen Karl of the Getty Center for the Arts and Humanities, Shaun Padgett of Claremont Colleges and UCLA, Don Thompson of the University of Southern California, and Wil Lin of UCLA. Participants were divided into three small groups, in order for the instructors to give more individual attention during each practicum.
The program consisted of three separate ninety-minute sessions. Practicum One was called Decision Making for In-house Repair. It was led By Romaine Ahlstrom and Don Thompson. Here participants learned about and discussed criteria for appropriate preservation treatment.
Practicum Two, led by Shaun Padgett and Wil Lin, gave a hands-on/participant interactive demonstration of rebacking a hard bound volume. Participants got a real feel for what is involved in repairing a book. Practicum Three, led by Gretchen Karl and Christopher Coleman showed various techniques for tipping in pages, page repair, and hinge tightening. Gretchen described and discussed different types of paste and materials, and gave advice on what to use depending on the type of repair.
We thought the workshop was a success. There was an overall feeling that everyone left the workshop enthused and armed with various strategies with which they could better preserve their collections. The highlight of the workshop was the hands-on repair session with Shaun Padgett and Wil Lin, which really brought home the importance of book repair.
-Ron Matteson (UC Irvine) and Vinh Nguyen (UC Irvine)
More ListServs for Preservation
Of you were tempted to subscribe to some or all of the ListServs mentioned in the last issue, and you are a continuing subscriber to them, you must by now be quite delirious with joy at finding so many knowledgeable colleagues from around the world are ready and willing to share their expertise at the merest hint of need, or plain punch drunk after a prolonged pummeling by fistfuls of information. More likely, however, connoisseur that you most certainly are (how could you else be on this newsletter's mailing list?), you chose to be selective and try only lists of definite relevance.
Those of you who tried to subscribe to the Conservation DistList will have experienced some difficulty, as I inadvertently gave you the wrong address. For this I apologize. Here is the correct information:
Conservation DistList. For all aspects of conservation and preservation of library, archives, and museum collections. Contact CONSDIST-REQUEST@LINDY.STANFORD.EDU
Walter Henry will send you current information about the list and a short questionnaire. When you e-mail back the completed questionnaire, you are added to the list.
Here are three more lists worth considering:
AMIA-l The Association for Moving Image Archivists list is for members
of AMIA and others concerned with preserving moving images, film, and video.
To join, send subscription request to
LISTSERV@UKCC.UKY.EDU
ERECS-L. This list is of interest to all information professionals concerned
with the management and preservation of electronic records. To join, send
subscription request to
LlSTSERV@UACSC2.ALBANY.EDU
IMAGELIB. A forum for topics and discussion related to imaging, creating,
accessing and retrieving from image databases, and all related aspects,
such as copyright. To join, send subscription request to
LISTSERV@LlSTSERV.ARlZONA.EDU
The "message" you send to the list, when you want to join usually takes the following form:
SUBSCRIBE LISTNAME YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLASTNAME
Happy Interactions!-Chris Coleman (UCLA Library)
Archivists! Librarians! Conservators! You asked LAPNet to compile a Los Angeles area register of disaster response consultants. You said you want a comprehensive register. LAPNet is ready to comply. But first: we need the names of individuals willing to be consulted, their areas of specialization, and contact information for each of them. We invite YOU to offer YOUR expertise to the local information community. If you have knowledge that can help others respond appropriately to a disaster they are coping with, fill in the colorful insert opposite. We shall make this list available for purchase. The cost will depend on its final size and the work involved in compiling it.
We are also looking for volunteers to respond to major disasters, to come to the disaster scene to help colleagues, whose library or archive has suffered the disaster. You can volunteer to help a local institution. You can also volunteer to help in other parts of the State. Those of us who work in archives, libraries, museums, and related institutions are probably the most able to offer exactly the kind of help needed at a disaster scene. I urge you to consider this call to register as a volunteer. This list will be maintained by LAPNet. It will also be shared with the California State Library as a contribution to the Statewide Cooperative Preservation Plan.
Before you fill in the questionnaire, please make copies of it for interested colleagues. Mail the completed questionnaire to Christopher Coleman, UCLA Library Preservation Office, 11334 University Research Library PO Box 951575, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575. The questionnaire is a self-mailer and has the address already printed on it for your convenience.
---Chris Coleman, (UCLA Library)
Participants in the LAPNet program Bracing for the Next One (1995) indicated that they would like LAPNet to compile and maintain a comprehensive list of information professionals and conservators in the Los Angeles area with disaster recovery experience. There is a need for individuals upon whom we can call for advice and guidance following a disaster with which we cannot cope. It may be that the disaster is on too large a scale for an institution to manage on its own; or it may happen that no one on the staff has the expertise required to deal with the kinds of material that have been affected.
LAPNet would like to address these needs be creating TWO lists. The first list will name individuals willing to give advice and guidance on disaster response and collection salvage. Each name will be followed by a list of topics on which the individual is willing to serve as a consultant. The topics may be as broad as disaster response in general, or may be limited to a particular medium, e.g. magnetic tape.
The second list will name individuals who have consented to be part
of a disaster response team to come to the aid of a library in need following,
say, a fire like the one at LAPL in 1986. We would also like to know who
would agree to be part of a volunteer disaster response and recovery team
that will travel to another part of California, if needed, to help colleagues
affected by a regional disaster, such as a major earthquake.
If YOU are willing to be included in either or both of these lists, PLEASE COMPLETE THE FORM BELOW and return it to the LAPNet office bv 26 July 1996. The form is designed as a self mailer for your convenience. Or, reply by e-mail to: cdgc@library.ucla.edu
Make copies of this form for colleagues who want to Participate!
Name
Address
Institution
Address
Phone
Work
Home
Pager
Fax E-mail
1. I am willing to be listed as a sisaster response and recovery consultant. YES NO (circle one)
If "yes", list areas of expertise/experience.
2. I am willing to be part of a volunteer disaster response and recovery team
in Los Angeles
YES NO (circle
one)
in Southern California YES
NO (circle one)
in Northern California YES
NO (circle one)
Top
Q. How do I dry wet books?
A. This heads the list of the most frequently asked questions. Private collectors and librarians often store books in basements or near pipes. If the pipes break or leak, the books could be damaged. Also, because of inadequacies in a building's construction, heavy rains could cause an area of a library to fill with water, perhaps wetting the collection. (This is especially a problem in libraries that have part of their stacks underground.) If the books are not dried within a day or two, mold may grow. Once mold damage has taken place it is usually impossible to remove the resulting stains.
There are two basic drying methods: air drying and freeze drying; and each can be done using several techniques. Air drying can be carried out indoors with or without fans (though the use of fans is preferable since the circulation of air will hasten the drying). Methods for freezing books include freeze drying, vacuum drying, and vacuum freeze drying.
Air drying is most appropriate when only a small number of books--fewer than 100--are damp, rather than soaking wet, and when indoor temperature, humidity, and air circulation can be controlled.
When air drying materials, open the books and place them on their heads (i.e. with the print upside down) on a large work table covered with blotting paper. A book should not be positioned on its fore-edge, because the weight of the damp textblock might cause it to pull apart from the binding. Use fans to ensure good air circulation; they should be far enough away from the books so that the pages do not flap. This method may take a day or more. Remember, though that if the hooks are too wet, or if the ambient climatic conditions are too humid, mold may grow. In such cases freezing is the better option.
Coated papers--like those in art books or popular magazines--pose a special problem, because the clay in their finish will become sticky when it is wet. If the pages of such items get too wet and they are not attended to immediately, they could stick together permanently. But if they are caught early enough and the pages can still be separated, they should be interleaved with paper towels, blotters or anything that keeps the coated surfaces from touching one another.
There are essentially three different processes for using freezing to dry books: freeze drying, vacuum ding, and vacuum freeze drying.
Freeze drying can be done in a home or supermarket freezer, but not as effectively as in a freezer specifically designed for the freezing of books and other artifacts. Sometimes the food services or catering departments in a university will be able to offer freezer space for books.' It is imperative when making use of such facilities--or when freezing books at any time--to wrap them separately with freezer paper before freezing them-otherwise they might stick to each other.
Home freezers that do not have automatic defrosters do not work for drying books. They will merely freeze the moisture in them. Frost-free freezers will eventually help the water to evaporate out of the papers (just as ice-cubes will "shrink" in a frost-free freezer). Still, non-frost-free freezers are better than none at all, and should be relied on to freeze the books if a frost-free one is not available. Any freezing should be done as soon as possible after the books are damaged.
Vacuum drying involves the use of a vacuum chamber in which the temperature is raised and the pressure lowered. In the vacuum-freeze-drying method a book that is already frozen is placed in a vacuum chamber. As pressure is reduced, the water in the book is vaporized and sucked out of the chamber, while freeze-drying uses cold freezer coils to draw water out of the air.
Books can be kept in freezers almost indefinitely. Thus, freezing is particularly useful when a large number of books have gotten wet. They can be taken out and treated in small groups, as facilities and personnel are available.
Do not use the freezers of a food service or catering facility if the books are affected by water that is known to be, or suspected of being in any way polluted or contaminated.
-Editor
LAPNet, Inc. is registered in the State of California as a non-profit public benefit corporation.
Preparation and distribution of LAPNews are made possible through the
generous support of the Getty Conservation Institute's Documentation Program
and the UCLA Library.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|