Thursday, November 19, 2015

Now available at ARCH....Yearbooks!



The dream is real!  Yearbooks are now available in ARCH!

1955 Katonian
1955 Katonian
 From the University Student Publications. Collection, 1888-Ongoing. MSU Archives Collection 130, the first annual or yearbook published as a separate item was that of 1906. For several years prior to that date, specific issues of the school magazine, Mankatonian, were devoted to the junior and senior classes, usually being the last two issues of every year. The title of the annual yearbooks changed several times until 1921, when Katonian was selected. The yearbook was published under that name until its last issue in 1981. The 1972 was the last official yearbook. The 1974 yearbook was published by the Mankato State Student Association. The 1978-1981 yearbooks were published by the Centennial Student Union, and other than the senior photographs, the format and photographs were virtually the same in each volume.

The project involved scanning 65 yearbooks containing approximately 11,212 pages.  The years cover 1906, 1910 – 1911, 1914 – 1918, 1920 – 1972, 1974, 1977 – 1981.

Scanning commenced February 19, 2015 and continues to present, using the following scanners; Epson Expression 10000XL, Epson Perfection 4990 Photo and Fujitsu Fi 760.  More information about using the Fujitsu Fi 760 sheet fed scanner on this post.  Software used included Epson Scan, Vuescan 9 x32 and PaperStream Capture 1.0.1.

Ingestion into ARCH began June 19, 2015 and was completed November 17, 2015.  Yearbooks were ingested in folders of 35 to 50 items each, depending on the individual page tiff file size and zipped using 7-zip.  Some yearbooks required 10+ zipped folders.  Individual pages were then reordered within ARCH.  

Update June 2016:  For those of you old-school yearbook aficionados, you can purchase a Katonian for your very own!

Anne Stenzel is an Archives Technician specializing in digitization at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Comment below with suggestions and any questions!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

DIY Book Repair Resources



As the “do it yourself” trend continues I thought it would be helpful to provide some useful resources for how YOU can best take care of YOUR books! (If you have a library book in need of repair, please refrain from making any repairs and turn it in at the Circulation desk. We have professionals who will take it from there!)

Book Care/Repair

Does your book need repair? If you are unable to bring it in to a professional, you may be looking for other resources for help!

Before we begin, it is very important to remember to use the right types of adhesives when repairing a book. These can be easily found in craft stores and online (see links below). It is imperative that you do not use typical glues or tapes that you can find in your office. The acidic nature of these can cause more damage than good and it won’t be long until you are looking for a replacement book for the one you currently have.

If you are looking for the right type of glue to use in any DIY project, I highly recommend thistothat. This website provides insight into the best glues for gluing different objects together. My favorite glue to use in book repair is PVA (polyvinyl acetate), an acid-free, clear-drying, flexible glue that dries fast. Unlike many glues on the market, this one does not turn brown and it does not cause chemical damage to books.


This is the type of chemical damage typical office tapes and glues can cause. -image courtesy of J. Dalbey
Look out for tutorials using adhesives that are not appropriate for the repair (ex: Elmers glue, Gorilla glue, duct tape, packing tape, rubber cement, gluesticks, etc.). Make sure you are using something like PVA glue (it is similar to Elmer’s but is formulated to be more flexible), Filmoplast tape or other “archival” glues and tapes. See below for more information!

Book Repair Resources for You:

Hinge Tightening (Video showing how to fix a book in which the textblock has fallen loose from its covers or case): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3pCh2o0krk
One Book at a Time (Videos and Photos): http://www.bookmenders.org/p/tutorials.html
Powerpoint for Libraries (contains useful information for anyone): http://downloads.alcts.ala.org/ce/091411book_repair_basics.pdf
*When in doubt, put it in the freezer until you know the best way to dry it!

What kind of supplies can I use for book repair? The Amigos Library Services website has a great list of supplies that can be used based on type of repair needed.

Where can I buy supplies?*

(*Note: this list contains recommendations from my own personal experience. In no way is this a means for endorsement.)

Find more information and resources at http://lib.mnsu.edu/services/preservation/

Do you have questions or comments about these resources? Comment below!

 

Jamie Dalbey is a Preservation and Government Documents Technician at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Learn more about Preservation here.