RE: Deferred Binding

[Lydia Preiss <lpreiss@xxxxxxxxxx>]

To PADG,
from Lydia Preiss

At the National Library of Australia NLA we have been boxing serials
instead of binding them for some 10 years now, however  high security
material is still commercially bound.  The NLA had to find alternative
approaches due to reducing budgets, a new commercial binding cost $20
and a polypropylene box costs between $1.50 and $2.  Generally the
system is working well, but there are some problems of misfiled material
in the boxes eg when readers request more than one box of material items
can be replaced incorrectly. 

Generally the system works well, the boxes stack well on the shelves,
they can be clearly labelled, they protect the serials from mechanical
damage and individual serials are easy to photocopy.  Not everyone likes
this system but the overall result for the Library is effective.  We
also use custom designed polypropylene boxes and folders for housing
some newspapers, sheet music, glass plate negatives, microfilm, and
pamphlets which are now interfiled in the general stacks.  we also make
clear polypropylene covers for spiral bound material, securing the cover
within the spiral and covering the spiral with the cover for physical
protection.  We are currently investigating the use of polypropylene
manuscript boxes.  

Lydia Preiss
Manager Collection Preservation
National Library of Australia
Email  lpreissnla.gov.au







> ----------
>From: 	Sherry Byrne[SMTP:sbyr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
>Sent: 	Thursday 9 October 1997 2:15AM
>To: 	padg@xxxxxxx
>Subject: 	Deferred Binding
>
>To:  PADG
>From:   Sherry Byrne
>
>At the University of Chicago we are considering sending monographs to the
>stacks unbound to keep our growing binding budget under control.  I would be
>interested in knowing what your experiences have been with such a program.
>I would particularly appreciate hearing about any studies (formal or
>informal) that you performed to help you make your decision, that have
>provided cost data, or that show the impact of not binding.  I have checked
>the Cons DistList Archives but don't see any postings after about 1993.
>
>
>Sherry Byrne
>Preservation Librarian
>sbyr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>(773) 702-9313 voice
>(773) 702-6623 fax
>
>