Connecting to Collections Care

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  • 1.  Rare books

    Posted 10-18-2022 15:56
    The Rutland Historical Society has a number of rare books. If you have any suggestions on how to take care of these books, I would greatly appreciate it.

    Sincerely,

    Ron Hemenway
    Rutland Historical Society


  • 2.  RE: Rare books

    Posted 10-18-2022 15:58
    Hi Ron-

    Thanks for posting this question to the community. I'm acting as C2C Care Community Monitor and will be happy to gather some information for you. Do you have any further information about the types of books and what kind of general condition they are in? Feel free to post that information in the community if you can and more info is coming shortly!

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    --------------------------------------
    Robin Bauer Kilgo (she/her/hers)
    Connecting to Collections Care Coordinator, FAIC
    c2cc@culturalheritage.org
    Contract Registrar/Consultant
    rbkilgo@gmail.com
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  • 3.  RE: Rare books

    Posted 10-18-2022 18:25
    Robin,

    I recently discovered that the society has History of Rutand County that was published in 1843. This book is digitized, so I decided that we should preserve it. I then realized I had no idea as to how to do this other than not use it. The cover is falling off, but other than this the book is in really great shape. We also have some Rutland County Almanacs that date from the 1850's. These are also in good shap with the exception of one that has lost its cover. There are also quite a few that date from the late 1800 to early 1900's. I feel that these books are need to be preserved for future generations. Any advice on how to do this would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you,

    Ron Hemenway

    Rutland Historical Society





  • 4.  RE: Rare books

    Posted 10-19-2022 10:40
    Hi Ron,
    Placing the books in protective enclosures will protect them from exposure to light and airborne pollutants and will also mitigate fluctuations in relative humidity. Additionally, enclosures provide physical support and keep loose components together. The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) has several preservation leaflets offering guidance on the storage and handling of books: 
    Storage and Handling for Books and Artifacts on Paper
    Storage Enclosures for Books and Artifacts on Paper
    Custom Protective Enclosures


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    Sharon Fickeissen
    Connecting to Collections Care Monitor
    Senior Library Conservation Technician
    Hagley Museum & Library
    Wilmington DE
    (302) 658-2400
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  • 5.  RE: Rare books

    Posted 10-19-2022 10:42
    Thanks @Sharon Fickeissen! I've also pulled together this list of resources that you might find useful Ron. And if anyone else had advice/resources feel free to pass along. 

    C2C Care

    AIC Caring for your Treasures: How to Protect your Books
    https://www.culturalheritage.org/docs/default-source/resources/outreach/books.pdf?sfvrsn=7d79b31e_2

     CCAHA

    Conserv-O-Gram Number 19/23 A Phase Box for the Protection of Books http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-23.pdf

    Library of Congress Care, Handling and Storage of Books https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/books.html



    ------------------------------
    --------------------------------------
    Robin Bauer Kilgo (she/her/hers)
    Connecting to Collections Care Coordinator, FAIC
    c2cc@culturalheritage.org
    Contract Registrar/Consultant
    rbkilgo@gmail.com
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Rare books

    Posted 10-20-2022 09:01
    Robin, Sharon and Lolana,

     II want to say Thank you all for the wonderful advice. I wanted to let you all know that I have some document boxes that I thought I would try fitting some of these books in. I have regular , large and extra large document boxes from gaylord or hollinger. This is definately a start. I will have to go through the documents you sent me.

    Sincerely,

    Ron Hemenway

    Rutland Historical Society






  • 7.  RE: Rare books

    Posted 10-21-2022 08:37

    Hi Ron,

     

    I know you may have the Hollinger boxes on hand, but I would really discourage you from using them for book storage UNLESS you individually wrap each book in a 4-flap enclosure (such as these from Gaylord - https://www.gaylord.com/Preservation/Archival-Envelopes%2C-Sleeves-%26-Protectors/Gaylord-Archival%26%23174%3B-10-pt-Four-Flap-Enclosures-%285-Pack%29/p/HYB01704 ).

     

    Unwrapped books will shift in the box and can be damaged.  If the books are already damaged, the enclosures will keep them stabilized and protected until you get them to a conservator.

     

    Hope this helps your project along.

     

    All the best,

    VivianLea

     

    VivianLea Solek

    Archivist

    Knights of Columbus Supreme Council Archives


    1 State Street
    New Haven, CT 06511-6702

    Phone 203 752-4578
    Fax 203 865-0351

     

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  • 8.  RE: Rare books

    Posted 10-21-2022 12:23
    Vivian,

    I have some buffered paper. Can I make my own envelopes for the rare books ? I routinely make large envelopes to protect the items in the document boxes. I wondered if this would work ?

    Thanks,

    Ron