When first stepping into the library, most people only see the staff manning the service desks. What most people don’t see is the multitude of support staff behind
the scenes. One area that often goes unnoticed by patrons focuses
entirely on providing services for the library materials themselves.
What is Preservation?
The Preservation Department is responsible for protecting the library’s materials and prolonging the lifespan of that material through procedures that will not cause further damage.
This means a lot of things!
For one, any library material may pass through the hands of the Preservation Technician at any time. These materials include, but are not limited to, books, pamphlets, music, maps, globes, CDs, and microforms. Materials mended by the Preservation Department do not include electronic devices such as computers or recorders. Many times, an item needs to be repaired through specific procedures using archival materials and anything else that will not cause any physical or chemical damage. Using the wrong glue or tape can make all the difference between preserving an item and destroying an item.
The Preservation Department is responsible for protecting the library’s materials and prolonging the lifespan of that material through procedures that will not cause further damage.
This means a lot of things!
For one, any library material may pass through the hands of the Preservation Technician at any time. These materials include, but are not limited to, books, pamphlets, music, maps, globes, CDs, and microforms. Materials mended by the Preservation Department do not include electronic devices such as computers or recorders. Many times, an item needs to be repaired through specific procedures using archival materials and anything else that will not cause any physical or chemical damage. Using the wrong glue or tape can make all the difference between preserving an item and destroying an item.
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| My favorite handheld preservation tools used for a variety of repairs! |
Some
of the procedures used to mend an item in Preservation include
repairing a loose cover or hinge, mending torn pages, replacing missing
pages, rebuilding broken corners, replacing the book spine, pamphlet
binding, encapsulation, recasing, bindfast gluing, creating custom boxes
and folders, and stabilizing wet or moldy books.
What else does Preservation do?
Besides physically mending items, another important part of preservation
in the library includes sending books to an external commercial vendor
who does book binding. Pulling periodicals and books with desperate need
to be rebound, the Preservation staff send these items out once a month
for a fresh start. This makes these items last much longer on the
shelves.
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| We form solid plans so employees can feel prepared for an incident! |
Disaster
preparedness is another important aspect of preservation. By doing an
assessment of the library collections, clarifying priority materials
throughout the library, and aiding with the disaster plan, the
Preservation Department plays a significant role. Without this, our plan
would look something more like the photo on the left. Yikes...
When
a disaster arises, whether it be related to incidents like fire,
terroristic threats, weather emergencies, active shooters, or medical
emergencies, the Preservation Technician and the rest of the library
Disaster Team puts a deep focus in planning, preparing, and educating
the other staff members about what to do when these situations arise.
This keeps all faculty and staff prepared and helps better protect
library collections as well.
You
may be wondering about digital preservation. It is our Archives team
that works on digitizing University materials of historic value to make
them available online at ARCH.
This includes yearbooks, images, and newspapers. The Preservation
department does not currently do this. If interested in this aspect,
please contact the Archives department.
Though further things can be said of the Preservation department at Minnesota State University, Mankato, this is the gist of what one would see behind the scenes. But don’t worry; we’ll get more in-depth about these topics as we go!
If you see a damaged book, please bring it to a member of the library team as soon as possible. We are here to provide all patrons with well-preserved materials for the best library experience!
Please comment below with any questions or anything you would like to add!
Jamie Dalbey is a Preservation and Government Documents Technician at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Learn more about Preservation here: http://lib.mnsu.edu/services/preservation/
**First image (definition) is from dictionary.com. We do not own this image.
**Second image (tools) was taken by Dalbey in 2015.
**Third image (Dilbert) is from bytecolumn.com. We do not own this image.
