Introduction THE CARE AND HANDLING • To help preserve our collections and help fulfill the Syracuse University ’s mission of OF AND transforming the Library into the University’s primary gateway for scholarly information, care MANUSCRIPTS needs to be taken in the everyday handling of materials. Covered in this talk will be guidelines A Workshop for SUL SCRC Staff for: and Students – Retrieval – Room Practices – Photocopying Prepared by Donia Conn – The storage of books – Routing books to Conservation 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 1 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 2 Syracuse University Library Syracuse University Library

Retrieving Retrieving

• Do not pull the by the spine. This causes damage to the • Pull books from the headcap or can cause shelf by pushing the the spine to detach. If two books adjacent to not treated, this can the desired book in. lead to the boards detaching as well.

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Retrieving Retrieving

• Grasp the book • After you have pulled between your fingers the requested books, and pull out. do not leave gaps. Unsupported books • Put in the out slip so can tip over or even there is a location fall off the shelf record and so the causing severe person re-shelving the damage. book knows it is in the proper place.

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• Help support the rest of the shelf by moving • When placing books the books gently (not on the cart, either scraping across the stack flat according to shelf) and replacing size or… the book end.

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Retrieving Retrieving

• Stack manuscript boxes only one-high on the top shelf of a cart. Stacked two- • …use book ends. high there is the potential for a toppling domino effect going over bumps.

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Retrieving: Retrieving Summary • When pulling books or • Don’t pull the book by the spine but rather grasp manuscripts from higher shelves, the spine between your fingers and pull out. always use the ladders for your • Put in an “out slip” and support remaining books safety as well as the materials. with the bookend. • When pulling manuscript boxes • Support the books on the cart with a bookend or from higher shelves, be careful, by stacking according to size. the boxes may be heavy. • Stack manuscript boxes only one-high on carts. • When pulling flat , get help • Use the ladders, beware of heavy manuscript boxes and get help for extreme oversize volumes. if the book is extra large or heavy.

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• Do not put a book away that does not have an out slip. Re-shelving without the out slip may result • For large volumes, in the book being in the incorrect place and makes damaged bindings, or it very difficult to find again. volumes with stiff • When re-shelving a book, shift the books on the openings, use the foam shelf so there is room and then re-shift so all the cradles and snakes books are supported by the bookend. behind the desk.

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In the Reading Room In the Reading Room

• Be sure to enforce the “pencil only” rule. • Remind the patrons Removing a stray not to take notes pencil mark is easy. Removing the stray directly on books or mark from an ink pen manuscripts. This can requires us to contract leave impressions, or out to another worse, lead to stray conservator due to the marks or tearing. chemicals involved.

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In the Reading Room In the Reading Room

• Encourage the use of • Encourage manuscript slips of paper as users to use a place . holder to maintain the Notebooks, pencils, order of items in etc. should not be used folders and folders in as bookmarks since boxes. they can break the spine of the book.

2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 17 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 18 Syracuse University Library Syracuse University Library In the Reading Room: Photocopying Summary • Encourage the use of the foam cradles and snake • When photocopying weights for large or stiff books. materials, it is • Enforce the “pencil only” rule. important to maintain • Don’t take notes with the notepaper directly on the the proper order of book. items in the folder and • Encourage the use of place holders in manuscript in the box. Use a boxes. place holder so order • Encourage the use of paper bookmarks not the use is preserved. of notebooks, pencils etc.

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Photocopying Photocopying.

• When copying a book, open to the required page and place carefully on the • DO NOT squash a book copier, supporting book on the flat large bindings so they copier! don’t fall off the copier. • Do not close the lid of the book copier. Mask off around the book with plain waste paper.

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Photocopying Photocopying

• Be VERY careful • When copying materials held together with a when copying brittle paper clip, do not simply pull it off because it material. will tear the paper. Remove as follows: • Before copying any 1. Use a piece of Mylar as a barrier and slide a spatula brittle bound , under the clip. consult with the 2. Carefully lift the upper half of the clip while holding conservation lab. down on the lower half so the paper does not rip. • DO NOT use the form 3. Dispose of the paper clip and replace with a piece of copy paper folded in half around the materials. feed for ANY manuscript or archival • Click to see a video clip of how this is done. materials. 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 23 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 24 Syracuse University Library Syracuse University Library Photocopying: Photocopying Summary • When copying materials held together with a staple, do not use a staple remover, it will tear • Maintain order in manuscript boxes with a place the paper. Remove as follows: holder. 1. Slide a spatula under one fold of the staple. • Do not squash books on the flat copier. 2. Carefully lift the fold so it is upright, supporting the • Carefully handle books when using the book lower half so the paper doesn’t rip. copier. 3. Repeat with second fold. 4. Flip over and carefully pull out staple. • Brittle material is VERY fragile, handle with care. • If a stapled item is the only thing in a folder, do • Carefully remove paper clips and staples before not re-staple when photocopying is complete. copying. • Click to see a video clip of how this is done. 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 25 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 26 Syracuse University Library Syracuse University Library

Storing Books on Carts Storing Books on Carts

• DO NOT let books • DO NOT stack books lean when storing on such that smaller carts. This can books are below damage the cover- larger. This creates a textblock attachment leaning tower that is and can lead to books an avalanche in the sliding off the cart if it making. gets bumped.

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Storing Books on Carts Storing Books on Carts

• DO NOT store large • Store books on a cart books on their fore just as you store them edges. This on the shelves - use a encourages the book end to support textblock to fall out of the books or stack the case. them according to size.

2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 29 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 30 Syracuse University Library Syracuse University Library Storing Books on Carts: The Costs of Improper Handling Summary and Storage • Many of the books in SCRC have been in use • Stack books according to size or store for well over 100 years. For example, the Ranke upright with a bookend. was originally • Do not store large books on their fore edge, collected by Dr. von Ranke as his private even if you use a bookend. research collection. SUL’s initally purchased it to create a circulating collection, it is now the core of the SCRC rare book collection. 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 31 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 32 Syracuse University Library Syracuse University Library

The Costs of Improper Handling The Costs of Improper Handling and Storage and Storage • Another contributing • Because of its history factor in the damage to of circulation, the the Ranke collection Ranke collection has (and other individual sustained a lot of volumes) is the damage, best shown in environment in which the number of spines they were stored for that have gone the majority of their life. missing. Photo courtesy of the Syracuse University Archives 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 33 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 34 Syracuse University Library Syracuse University Library

The Costs of Improper Handling The Costs of Improper Handling and Storage and Storage • Before the advent of • Modern fluorescent modern HVAC systems, lights are not a great buildings were heated improvement. The with coal or wood, lit by sunlight, oil or gas, and ultraviolet lacked humidity control. wavelengths given off These factors accelerate are almost as the deterioration of damaging as sunlight leather, paper and cloth and also cause the making the materials weak weakening of leather, and more susceptible to damage. cloth and paper. Photo courtesy of the Syracuse University Photo courtesy of the Syracuse University Archives Archives 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 35 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 36 Syracuse University Library Syracuse University Library The Costs of Improper Handling The Costs of Improper Handling and Storage and Storage • History is not the only • Some materials, however, culprit. Deterioration is were inherently destined an ongoing problem. to disintegrate. Paper Damage occurs every day printed between 1850- from handling materials. 1950, modern newspaper, If care is not taken in pulling, transporting, color photographs, slides storing, using and and negatives and many photocopying materials, adhesives used in damage will occur that will takes time and money to deteriorate even in ideal repair. situations.

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The Costs of Improper Handling Routing to Conservation and Storage • Treating materials in • To help ensure our books SCRC can take anywhere remain in usable from 5 min. for a simple condition, any books mend to several hours for requested by patrons or a full treatment. The used by staff that need Nuremburg Chronicle repair should be routed to took 84 hours of labor to the conservation lab. To complete. do this, either place on the • Most repairs take around 2 conservation shelf in the hours. re-shelving area or bring Photo courtesy of Peter Verheyen the item to the lab directly.

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Routing to Conservation Routing to Conservation Types of materials include: Types of materials include: • Books with damaged outer joints, inner • Books with their hinges or endcaps. covers or spines • These books do not falling off. look like they need • If not taken care of the much but it is a 15 textblock could get minute repair versus a damaged or important 1 hour repair if it gets bindings may be lost. left too long.

2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 41 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 42 Syracuse University Library Syracuse University Library Routing to Conservation Routing to Conservation Types of materials include: Types of materials include: • Books where there is damage to the • Books with textblock such as unprotected dust tears, loose or missing jackets. pages, or loose or – An unprotected dust missing plates. jacket is one that is not • Manuscripts that are encased in a Mylar torn or fused together. sleeve, or has a damaged sleeve.

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Routing to Conservation Routing to Conservation: Types of materials include: Summary • Books without hard • Books needing conservation should be put on covers. the conservation shelf or brought into the lab. • These books can be • Route books with damage to the case, joints, phase boxed to protect boards, or pages. the fragile paper • Route books without Mylar dust jackets to the wrappers from neighboring hard lab. bound books. • Route any books without hard covers for boxing.

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Conservation’s Role: Conclusion What do we do? • The Conservation Lab If we all work together to maintain and provides a wide range of treatments. Tissue improve the materials entrusted to our care, rebacks are quick and help we can ensure that many generations of SU retain the original covers, recasing helps to protect students and researchers have access to our the textblock and allow for unique and wonderful collection. continued use, boxing protects our brittle materials and fine bindings and rebinding gives new life to a text that is otherwise difficult 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 47 2 February 2004 Special Collections Research Center, 48 Syracuse University Libraryto use. Syracuse University Library