Spine erasures on bookbindings

I will greatly appreciate the sharing of insight/experience from
anyone who can relate to my problem.  Many bound serials in our
library are not classified, which requires users to access them on
the shelves by the title information showing on their spines.  The
problem is that our Marking unit is routinely requested to erase
(with an electric eraser) as many as five or six lines from the
spine of a run of books in order to make title changes.  Nothing
that we have tried to adhere to the spine to cover words we are
directed to erase from the spine works without fail on all covering
material.  The electric eraser leaves an unsightly discoloration and
sometimes actually rubs a hole through the the spine cloth.  I'm
told that classifying these serials and thereby eliminating the
extremely up-to-date accuracy required of the information on the
spine is out of the question at present.  Does anyone have
suggestions regarding a less damaging way of changing spine
information?  Many thanks,

Regina Sinclair
Preservation Librarian
The University of Iowa Libraries
319-335-5286
Fax: 319-335-5900

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:29
                Distributed: Friday, September 20, 1996
                       Message Id: cdl-10-29-006
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