Connecting to Collections Care

Hi Michele, thank you for your question.

I'm afraid I don't have an easy answer for you. Library labels are designed to adhere permanently, and they tend to either do their job very well, or not at all. There's not a lot in between. If they are staying put, as the ones in your image appear to be doing, I can't say that there is a safe or efficient way to remove them. Could you tell me more about why you are hoping to remove these? Is this a large collection that needs to be addressed? I may be able to help you find better suggestions based on what you're trying to achieve.

Generally speaking, removing labels without damage is a job best left to a conservator. There are a number of variables that make this job more challenging than it may seem. Successful removal depends on the label and the type of adhesive that it contains. In your example it looks like you have paper labels adhered to the spine, which are further reinforced with a clear label protector. This is tricky since you have two separate layers to deal with. The length of time that the label is adhered can also impact how hard or easy it is to remove. Yours appear to be newer, with possibly a strong acrylic adhesive that could be very challenging to deal with. Most importantly, successful removal depends on the material the label is adhered to. I can see quite a variety of cover materials in your image. A label may come off of a heavyweight, coated surface more easily than a delicate paper surface that will be more prone to scarf or tear.

As you noted, you will likely need to deal with adhesive residue after removing the label. Crepe erasers can be useful tools to help gently remove adhesive, however you may still have stains or residue left behind from adhesive that has become impregnated in the spine material. You would have a lot of adhesive to remove given that the labels here wrap around the spine. Residue left behind can also wreak havoc as books come in contact with each other when they're shelved. The combination of difficulty and inefficiency of removing labels generally leads people to seek other solutions.

I know this is a problem many libraries have dealt with so I will do a bit more research, and connect with our experts in this area to see if they can offer alternative suggestions for you.

Best,

Jen

What is the safe way to remove library labels and their residue from rare books?  Below is a photo of some of the books.  Thanks in advance for your responses.  Best, Michele

MICHELE F. PACIFICO
Archival and Museum Facilities Consultant

PO Box 1490, Jackson, WY 83001
301-908-8720

martinpacifico@comcast.net
www.pacificoarchivalconsulting.com

I am writing to support Jen's answer three-fold. Years ago I had a class of graduate conservation students focus on removal efforts of labels from leather bound books that the UCLA Library was reassigning to Special Collections. One then-student, Robin O'Hern, took it further and here is a publication, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19455224.2013.815123. It was far from simple. 

Best wishes,

Hi Michele, thank you for your question.

I'm afraid I don't have an easy answer for you. Library labels are designed to adhere permanently, and they tend to either do their job very well, or not at all. There's not a lot in between. If they are staying put, as the ones in your image appear to be doing, I can't say that there is a safe or efficient way to remove them. Could you tell me more about why you are hoping to remove these? Is this a large collection that needs to be addressed? I may be able to help you find better suggestions based on what you're trying to achieve.

Generally speaking, removing labels without damage is a job best left to a conservator. There are a number of variables that make this job more challenging than it may seem. Successful removal depends on the label and the type of adhesive that it contains. In your example it looks like you have paper labels adhered to the spine, which are further reinforced with a clear label protector. This is tricky since you have two separate layers to deal with. The length of time that the label is adhered can also impact how hard or easy it is to remove. Yours appear to be newer, with possibly a strong acrylic adhesive that could be very challenging to deal with. Most importantly, successful removal depends on the material the label is adhered to. I can see quite a variety of cover materials in your image. A label may come off of a heavyweight, coated surface more easily than a delicate paper surface that will be more prone to scarf or tear.

As you noted, you will likely need to deal with adhesive residue after removing the label. Crepe erasers can be useful tools to help gently remove adhesive, however you may still have stains or residue left behind from adhesive that has become impregnated in the spine material. You would have a lot of adhesive to remove given that the labels here wrap around the spine. Residue left behind can also wreak havoc as books come in contact with each other when they're shelved. The combination of difficulty and inefficiency of removing labels generally leads people to seek other solutions.

I know this is a problem many libraries have dealt with so I will do a bit more research, and connect with our experts in this area to see if they can offer alternative suggestions for you.

Best,

Jen

What is the safe way to remove library labels and their residue from rare books?  Below is a photo of some of the books.  Thanks in advance for your responses.  Best, Michele

MICHELE F. PACIFICO
Archival and Museum Facilities Consultant

PO Box 1490, Jackson, WY 83001
301-908-8720

martinpacifico@comcast.net
www.pacificoarchivalconsulting.com