Preservation & Book Repair

ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING LIBRARY

PRESERVATION UNIT OPERATIONS MANUAL

Revised 4/26/13

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About APL Preservation Unit.................................................................................. 3

1. Book Repair.......................................................................................................... 3

1.1. In-Unit Workflow.................................................................................. 3

1.2. Categories of Repairs............................................................................. 4

1.3. How to Request Labels and Barcodes................................................... 4

1.4. How to Acquire Book Repair Supplies................................................. 4

1.5. How to Acquire Pamphlet Binders....................................................... 4

2. PCL Book Repair Services

2.1. Quotas................................................................................................... 5

2.2. Preparing books for PCL....................................................................... 5

2.3. When repaired books return from PCL................................................. 6

3. Special Collections................................................................................................ 6

4. Archival Collections............................................................................................. 7

5. Pest Monitoring.................................................................................................... 7

6. Administrative Duties

6.1. Statistics....................................................................................... 7

6.2. Work Log............................................................................................... 8

6.3. Pest Reports.......................................................................................... 8

6.4. Manual Revisions.................................................................................. 8

6.5. Semester and Annual Reports............................................................... 8

7. Appendix

7.1. Contact Information.............................................................................. 9

7.2. Quota Deadlines................................................................................... 11

7.3. Log of Manual Revisions...................................................................... 11

7.4. How to Pack Books.............................................................................. 12

7.5. Supplies List......................................................................................... 13

7.6. Pamphlet Binders Supply List............................................................. 14

ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING LIBRARY (APL) PRESERVATION UNIT

The APL Preservation Unit is composed of the conservation technician. The unit is affiliated with the Alexander Architectural Archive (AAA) Preservation Unit. The technician repairs library materials both in-house and via services provided at the Perry Castaneda Library (PCL). In-house monograph services include repairs for ripped or missing pages, broken spines, and torn end sheets, and the creation of Mylar covers. In addition, the technician is also responsible for acquiring preservation housing for special collection materials and conducting conservation repairs for serials. S/he regularly monitors for pests in the library. Some conservation work for the Alexander Architectural Archive (AAA) is done on request. Finally, the technician has several administrative duties that ensure his/her work and workflow processes are documented.

The technician conducts in-house conservation work at the workbench area in the SE corner of Battle Hall 202 to conduct conservation repairs. When preparing books to be sent to PCL book repair services, s/he uses the computer and desk area of the serial librarian. The technician typically works six hours per week during the fall and spring semesters.

1. BOOK REPAIR

The serial librarian, circulation staff, weekend/night supervisors, and the bibliographer identify monographs and serials that need conservation or preservation work.
Evening/weekend supervisors change the status of books requiring repairs to “in unit repair” before placing the books on the shelf labeled “Repairs (unsorted)” by the conservation workbench.
The conservation technician reviews the books as received and determines if s/he will repair the materials him/herself (Section 1) or send them to PCL book repair service (Section 2) if the items are considered too difficult to be repaired in-house due to lack of supplies, equipment, or skill level.

1.1. In-Unit Workflow

The conservation technician organizes books into repair categories (see Section 1.2).
Books are stored on the “Repairs (sorted)” until repairs are complete.
The necessary repairs are made.
If new labels are needed, the conservation technician will follow the procedure outlined above in the PCL Book Repair Services section above.
When repairs are completed, s/he marks the repair on the current month’s APL Repair Statistics form. The forms will be collected by APL Head Librarian for the FY stats report at the end of the fiscal year, August 31^st (see Section 6.1).
The repaired items are placed on the designated shelf next to the student supervisor desk.
Evening/weekend supervisors will change the status of the items to “available” in Millennium, and place the items on the appropriate circulation desk shelves for re-shelving by the circulation staff.

1.2 Categories of Repair

The in-unit repair categories are at the discretion of the conservation technician. Suggested categories are as follows:

- Missing pages

- Envelopes and boxes

- Tip-in

- Hinge

- Tissue repair

- Reback

- Recase

- Mylar cover

- Sewing

1.3 How to Request Labels and Barcodes

The conservation technician fills out the labels order form, which can be found in the folder marked “Labels and Forms” on the conservation supply shelf. Photocopy or print out more forms as needed.
S/he can refer to the item record on Millennium, the item record, or “Material for PCL Repair” form, if necessary, to find the call number and/or OCR number.
The completed form is placed in the Bibliographic Assistant’s in-box on the student supervisor’s desk.
The items that need new labels are set aside on the shelf marked “Labels (ordered).” The Bibliographic Assistant will leave the newly printed labels on the conservation workbench as they are completed.
The new labels are affixed to the items and then place on the appropriate shelf by the student supervisor’s desk so the materials’ status can be changed and sent to the stacks.

1.4. How to Acquire Book Repair Supplies

Book repair supplies are obtained from the Assistant Conservator II in the PCL Book Repair Unit. Supplies can be picked up in person at PCL, or can be ordered by email from the Assistant Conservator II. PCL can send items such as board, cloth, and paper via inter-campus mail. PCL cannot send anything in liquid or powdered form, so PVA, wheat starch paste, methyl cellulose, and Klucel-G must be picked up in person. The conservation technician should bring the empty containers from APL to fill with these materials at PCL.

1.5. How to Acquire Pamphlet Binders

Requests for pamphlet binders and envelopes should be sent to the Library Assistant III in Preservation Services at PCL. There is a list of the various sizes of lace-on and glue-on binders in the “Supply Lists” in this binder. While many of the sizes listed are not available, they are helpful to reference when emailing the LA III.

2. PCL BOOK REPAIR SERVICES

2.1. Quotas

APL is allowed to send a quota of 11 books every month to Preservation Services at PCL to be repaired. The PCL Book Repair Unit will either repair/rebind the books in-house or send them out to a commercial bindery.

Quota shipments need to arrive in the Book Repair Unit by the deadline, so please plan accordingly. This generally means that the boxes need to be in the mail the day before the deadline, but you can always send them a few days early. The Assistant Head Librarian sets the quota deadlines on a yearly basis. See Section 7.2 for this school year’s deadlines.

2.2. Preparing Books for PCL

The catalog record must be changed to reflect that the items are no longer in repair at APL, but have instead been sent out to PCL.
1. Items for PCL repair are set aside on the shelf designated “To PCL.”
2. S/he fills out the “Materials for PCL Repair” form. Hardcopies are located in the folder marked “Labels and Forms” behind the conservation workbench. The electronic master copy can be found in the book repair documents folder on the desktop of the student employee computer.
3. S/he goes into Millennium to change status of books going to PCL from “in unit repair” to “being repaired.” If the technician needs a Millennium user name and password, s/he should talk with the Circulation Services Supervisor.
4. The item record for each book being sent to PCL is printed out.
Prepare the books for shipment to the Book Repair Unit at PCL.
1. The branch name abbreviation (“APL”) is written at the top of each item record printout.
2. The title on the item record printout should be highlighted. For very long titles, highlight only the portion of the title before the colon.
3. The item record printout is folded in half and placed it inside the book.
4. The “Materials for PCL Repair” form is retained to track items being repaired at PCL.
Then the technician packs up the books to be sent to PCL.
1. The books should be packed into spare boxes, using clean scrap paper as padding. Pre-printed labels are kept in the “Labels and Forms” box on the conservation supply shelf. For information on book packing methods, see Section 8.4 or http://www.protext.net/tips/packing.html
2. A copy of the APL Repair Statistics from the previous month is made and retained. The forms will be collected by APL Head Librarian for the FY stats report at the end of the fiscal year, August 31^st. A copy of the completed form is included in one of the boxes. (See Section 6.1)
3. If not using a pre-printed label, the technician will address the boxes for inter-campus mail to:

[Assistant Conservator II at PCL]

Book Repair

PCL 1.114

Mail Code S5481

1. S/he puts the boxes in the appropriate place to be included with the mail pick-up. The mail pick-up for APL is around 10:30am, M-F.

2.3. When Repaired Books Return from PCL

Items returned from the PCL Book Repair Unit will be placed on a designated shelf by the conservation workbench (“From PCL”).
The technician reviews the returned items* and date their return on the previously retained “Materials for PCL Repair” form. The form should be filed in the “Repair Records” folder on the conservation supply shelf once all materials listed have been returned.
S/he places the repaired items on the designated shelf next to the student supervisor desk.
Evening/weekend supervisors will change the status of the items to “available” in Millennium, and place the items on the appropriate circulation desk shelves for re-shelving by the circulation staff.

*Some of the returned items will need new call number labels (which in APL terminology are called “spine labels”) and/or barcodes (OCR labels). New barcodes are replaced rather than reproduced. (See Section 1.3)

3. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Occasionally, special collections materials will be set aside for preservation housing (e.g., phase boxes).

There are two options for rehousing special collections items.

a. A housing can be requested from PCL. This will count toward the monthly quota. The special collections item itself should not _be sent to PCL, which lacks secure storage facilities. Keep item on the shelf marked “Envelopes & Boxes Ordered.”_The technician gets a “Request for Special Collections Housing” form, which can be found (a) in hardcopy in the folder marked “Labels and Forms” behind the conservation workbench, and (b) in electronic form in the APL Book Repair documents folder on the student employee computer.
b. S/he measures the special collections item in both inches and centimeters (H x W x D), and fill out the form. Then s/he photocopies the completed form, keeps one copy in the “Repairs in Progress” folder, and sends the other to PCL along with the monthly quota.
c. When the housing arrives from PCL, the photocopy of the form from the “Repairs in Progress” folder should be moved to the “Repair Records” folder.

The conservation technician can go to PCL to construct the special collections housing.
1. a. S/he should email the Assistant Conservator II a few days ahead of time to arrange bench time at PCL.
2. b. S/he measures the special collections item(s) that need rehousing, then brings these measurements to PCL and uses them to construct the housing(s). The special collection(s) items themselves should be left at APL.

4. ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS

Occasionally, the AAA Curatorial Assistant for Public Services may request permission from the library supervisor to have the conservation technician repair architectural drawings that are damaged and/or being sent out for digitization. Due to the size of these items, the conservation technician will work in Room 6.

5. PEST MONITORING

In addition to book repair duties, the conservation technician is also responsible for monitoring pests on a monthly basis in APL. Consistency rather than frequency is the most important characteristic of monitoring for pests. APL Pest Log forms are available in the book repair documents folder on the desktop of the student employee computer. Carrying the form, pest traps, and keys for the elevator and Room 302, make the rounds around the library. Note activity, and tell the Circulation Services Supervisor to contact Facilities if there is an infestation.

Additional traps can be requested from the Assistant Conservator II at PCL.

6. ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES

Because of the variety and frequency of administrative and work due dates, it is advised to add them to the work calendar at the beginning of the fiscal year.

6.1. Statistics

The conservation technician is responsible for maintaining monthly statistics of in-unit repairs.

Every month, the conservation technician makes a copy of the completed monthly statistics form, and sends one copy to the Assistant Conservator II with the books for PCL repair and retains one copy for the APL Head Librarian.

6.2. Work Log

A work log keeps track of the activities of the conservation technician on an hourly basis. The log will be used to create an annual report, which will be submitted to the APL Head Librarian by the end of the fiscal year.

6.3. Pest Reports

Pest monitoring forms must be filled out by the conservation technician on a monthly basis. The completed forms will be given to the AAA Preservation Unit’s preservation administrator at the end of every April in order to create library-wide pest monitoring statistics.

6.4. Manual Revisions

This manual should be revised on a yearly basis at the end of August/start of September.

6.5. Semester and Annual Reports

At the end of each semester, the conservation technician must produce a Semester Report, which will be submitted to the APL Head Librarian. The report will include monthly statistics for in-unit repairs, work log statistics, and major projects accomplished or status updates of current projects. These semester reports are to be compiled into an annual fiscal year report (September through August) to be submitted to the APL Head Librarian by September 1st. If a conservation technician isn't scheduled for the summer session, the annual fiscal year report should be compiled at the end of the spring semester and include a note that the position was vacant in the summer.

7. APPENDIX

7.1. Contacts

Sources: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/apl/about/staff_contacts and http://lib.utexas.edu/about/directory/phonedir.html

Head Librarian, Architecture and Planning Library
Beth Dodd, dodd.beth@austin.utexas.edu

Library Administration, Tours, Exhibits, Curator for Alexander Architectural
(512) 495-4623

Architecture and Planning Librarian
Martha González Palacios, martha.gonzalez@austin.utexas.edu

Reference and Research Assistance, Collection Development and Gifts of Library Materials, Bibliographic Instruction, Electronic Information Classes, Tours, and Digital Projects.
(512) 495-4645

Circulation Services Supervisor
Dan Orozco, danorozco@austin.utexas.edu

Circulation Services, Overdue Fines and Fees, Course Reserves, Stacks Maintenance, Library Information.
(512) 495-4624

Night/Weekend Supervisors
Holly Ovalle, qed@virtualinfamy.com

Circulation Services, Periodical Check-in and Bindery Preparation, Night/Weekend Library Information.
(512) 495-4622

Bibliographic Assistant
Joe Sosa, joesosa@austin.utexas.edu

Pre-order Bibliographic Verification, Gifts Processing, Added Copy Cataloging, Circulation Services.
(512) 495-4411

Curatorial Assistant for Public Services, Alexander Architectural Archive
Nancy Sparrow, nsparrow@austin.utexas.edu

Reference and Research Assistance, Tours, Instruction, Appointments, Copy Work, Preservation Work, Exhibits.
(512) 495-4621

Curatorial Assistant for Technical Services, Alexander Architectural Archive
Donna Coates, d.coates@austin.utexas.edu

Access (Archival Arrangement, Description, and Processing), Collections Maintenance, Registrar, Preservation Work, Project Management.

Wendy K. Martin

Assistant Head Librarian & Conservator and Manager, Digital Preservation wkmartin@austin.utexas.edu
PCL 1.402B| Mail Code S5481 | PO Box P
Austin, TX 78713-8913
512-495-4138

Heather Eskridge

Assistant Conservator II

Preservation Services

furrd@mail.utexas.edu

PCL 1.114 | Mail Code S5481 | PO Box P
Austin, TX 78713-8913

512-495-4263

Steve Bush

Library Assistant III

smbush@austin.utexas.edu

PCL 1.114| Mail Code S5481 | PO Box P

Austin, TX 78713-8913

512-495-4454

7.2. Quota Deadlines for 2012-2013

q September 19
q October 17
q November 14
q December 12
q January 9

q February 6

q March 6

q April 3

q May 1

q May 29

q June 26

q July 24

q August 21

7.2. Log of Manual Revisions

Beth Dodd- 4/26/13

Lorrie Dong – 11/04/2012

Melissa Tedone -