Literature

"Conservation of Library Materials." Library Trends, Fall 1981 (v.30 no. 2). Edited by Gerald Lundeen. Single copies ate available for $5 per copy from: University of Illinois Press, Journals Dept., 54 E. Gregory Drive, Box 5081 Station A, Champaign, IL 61820.

ACA Bulletin, v.7 no. 1, January 1982. This entire issue is on conservation. Ursus Dix describes the National Gallery of Canada's lab, including the monthly clinic to which the public can bring paintings and works on paper for assessment and advice; Joseph Halmy describes the paper conservation studio and current projects at Parks Canada; Thea Jirat-Wasiutynski does the same for the new conservation facility at Queen's University Archives; Charles Brandt describes the equipment and capabilities of the new lab at the Provincial Archives of Manitoba; and similarly for Johanna Wellheiser in the City of Toronto Archives, Hugh Taylor at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia, Barry Byers at the Provincial Archives of British Columbia, and George deWitt Rogers at the Royal Ontario Museum. On p. 6 the early operations of a mobile lab service operated by the Canadian government is described (separate from the CCI mobile lab); for information write Gillian Watts, Conservation Co-ordinator, Museum Section, Heritage Administration Branch, 77 Bloor Street West, Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario M7A 2R9. On p. 8-11, Charles Brandt briefly describes American conservation as he saw it practiced in 1981, when he toured the GE Valley Forge space center, CCAHA, the exhibit tables at the AIC convention, and the Library of Congress (Geography & Map, Research & Testing Lab, Restoration, low temperature storage facilities and microfilming facilities).

"A.C.A" stands for Association of Canadian Archivists. Write The Editor, c/o General Synod Archives, 600 Jarvis Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y 2J6.

The newsletter of the Hand Bookbinders of California has a new name: The Gold Leaf. Address: P.O. Box 3216, San Francisco, CA 94119. The May issue had eight pages.

George Martin Cunha and Dorothy Grant Cunha. Library and Archives Conservation: 1980s and Beyond. Supplement to the 2d edition of Conservation of Library Materials, published 1971-72. Scarecrow Press, P.O. Box 656, Metuchen, NJ 08840. Fall 1982. 2 vols. Price to be announced.

The Cunhas' new book predicts future developments and provides an overview of the developments in professional conservation in the last 10 years, and broad general guidance in conservation management, preventive and restorative conservation techniques suitable for in-house programs, training and education at all levels, and disaster planning. The bibliography has over 5,000 new citations, in addition to the almost 500 references in the previous work.

The 2-vol. second edition of Conservation of Library Materials is still available as a set for $30, or individually for $16.50, from the publisher. (Talas's Feb. 1982 price was $28 for the set and $15 per vol.)

Edwin A. Williams, "The Book-Preservation Problem as Seen at Harvard," Harvard Library Bulletin 39:4, 420-444, Oct. 1981. The author recently retired after a distinguished career at Harvard University Library.

The IIC-CG Newsletter makes a practice of listing research projects of students in the Queen's University Master of Art Conservation program. Here are a few of the more interesting ones from the November 1980 and March 1982 issues:

Maheux, A.: Effect of Washing Treatments on Paper Durability

Pitach, A.: A Study of Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane as a Paper De-acidifying Agent

Stewart, C.: A Study of Variables Affecting Leaf Casting Thompson, S.: A Study of Synthetic Fibre Based Papers Shaw, Bruce: The Effect of Lamination on Paper Durability

Webster-Cook, Sandra and Christine Fillion: The Role of Selected Alkaline Buffers in the Oxidation and Stability of Cellulose

Authors should be contacted directly for further information on these projects. Present and forwarding addresses may be available from: Art Conservation Programme, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 5C4. Or write for a membership list of the International Institute for Conservation--Canadian Group, P.O. Box 9195, Terminal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1G 3T9.

Decherd Turner, "The Self-Destructing Book," Discovery: Research and Scholarship at The University of Texas at Austin, 6:3, 27-31, Spring 1982. The author is the director of the Humanities Research Center, which has nine million modern manuscripts, 800,000 rare books, more than four million photographs and negatives, and much more. The conservation program is correspondingly large: every staff member spends a few hours a week in conservation activities (boxes, mostly); there are, or will be, five conservation labs for the different sorts of materials; and they have plans for establishing an academy of bookbinding. This article describes the Center, rather than the self-destructing book as suggested in the title.

The lab at Johns Hopkins has a new descriptive brochure. Write the Collections Maintenance Officer, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218. This brochure describes activities and functions under the three-year Mellon grant, as well as the six-year history of the bindery and the new paper conservation department.

Library Scene, 11:1, July-August, 1982. The first issue under the new editor Lana Shanbar, and the last under the old format. The New Library Scene will be shorter and appear more often, more or less like the Abbey Newsletter. Subscription office: 50 Congress St., Boston, NA 02109. $18.00/year.

Wilfred Gallay, "Stability of Dimensions and Form of Paper," Tappi 56: #ll & 12, pp. 54ff. and 90-95, 1973. (In two parts.) This is a review article, not very clearly written, but with a lot of information in textual, tabular, chart and photographic form. Part II concerns the phenomena of curl and cockle and appears relevant to both book and paper conservation. Because of the date, it is probably out of print. In 1973 the author was the Secretary General of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, 490 Cloverdale Road, and Consultant, Ottawa, Ontario KlM 0Y6, Canada.

R. W. Davison, "The Sizing of Paper," Tappi 58:3, 48-57, March 1975. A long review article with sections on the history of sizing, alum and other nonreactive sizing agents, Aquapel and other chemically reactive sizing agents, and high pH internal and surface sizing systems. What is most striking about this article is the wide choice of sizes to yield paper of neutral or alkaline pH, even in 1975. "A recent and growing trend in the paper industry is the move toward a neutral pH sizing system wherever possible. In general, operation at a relatively high pH produces a cleaner white water system, cleaner effluent, and less equipment corrosion. This process may also lead to somewhat stronger paper, increased drainage rate, higher machine speed, and increased production rates."--p. 54.

Morocco Bound, v.1- 1980- . Quarterly journal of the Guild of Craft Bookbinders of Australia. Available from The Treasurer, P.O. Box 132, Glebe, N.S.W. 2037, Australia.

Bollettino dell'Istituto Centrale per la Patologia del Libro, Anno XXXV, 1978-79. This distinguished institute, dedicated wholly to book conservation, publishes copiously, but its work is unknown to most Americans because of the language barrier: they publish the Bolletino in Italian. The 1978-79 issue, which appears to have been issued only recently, has several articles in it on Japanese maps, and gamma-radiation. Write Istituto Centrale per la Patologia del Libro, via Milano 76, 00184 Rome, Italy. Annual membership £.15,000; £.20, 000 per copy.

6th Triennial Meeting of the ICOM Conservation Committee, Ottawa, Canada, September 1981. Preprints of papers presented at this conference are available from ICOM, Maison de l'Unesco, I rue Miollis, 7S732 Paris Cedex 15, France. They are in 4 ring binders. Price $100, postage and packing included. Make checks out to ICOM or payment may be made by bank transfer to the account of ICOM, Account No. US$ 7.818101.8, at the Société Générale, Agence FB-Fontenoy, Maison do l'Unesco, Place de Fontenoy, 7S700 Paris, France.

Randall Couch, "Notes on a Pressurized System for Producing Magnesium Bicarbonate Solutions," Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 21: 49-64, 19 Summarizes the problem and approaches; describes the method used at NEDCC, which involves a settling tank. An interesting comparison is Richard D. Smith's paper on producing magnesium bicarbonate aqueous deacidification solution under pressure, given at the AIC conference in May. In this paper he reported the design and function of a mixer he built for Illinois State Archives in Springfield. This mixer makes five gallons of clear solution every 20 minutes. It uses a pressure tank, filter, and electric motor, with a hole in the tank to put the magnesium hydroxide in. Richard Smith's address is c/o Wei T'o, P.O. Drawer 40, 21730 Main St., Unit 27, Matteson, IL 60443 (tel. 312/747-6660).

R. Gay Walker, "Library Binding as a Conservation Measure," Collection Management 4:1/2, 35-71, Spr.-Sum. 1982.

The April 1982 issue of Binders' Guild Newsletter reprints in their entirety the articles under "Bookbinding" from the 1870 and 1910 Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 pages in all. Somebody with the initials "J. PA." wrote the 1870 article, and Cyril Davenport wrote the 1910 one, which is better done.

Leonard DuBoff, "Oral Contracts: Put them in Writing," Crafts Report 8:77, 1, 10, Feb. 1982. The author is Professor of Law at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR, and is President of Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

A long letter from Teresa Clouse of Espanola, NM, in the May issue of Crafts Report, lists seven things to do or points to remember in choosing a photographer.

Hinge and Joint Repair. (Yale Publications in Preservations Series) 1981 or 1982. Yale University Library, 120 High Street, New Haven, CT 06S20. This is another in the series that includes Wraparounds, Tip-ins and Pockets, Paper Treatment, Pamphlet Binding, and The Small Bindery.

A.C. Baynes-Cope, Caring for Books and Documents. 1981. $6.50 from British Museums Publications, Ltd., 6 Bedford Square, London WC1B, England. Addressed to the collector rather than the librarian or conservator.

Slade Richard Gandert. Protecting your Collection: A Handbook, Survey, and Guide for the Security of Rare Books, Manuscripts, Archives and Works of Art. 1982, Haworth Press, New York (28 E. 22nd St., New York NY 10010). Issued as v.4, #1/2, 1982 of Library and Archival Security. ISSN: 0196-0075. 144 p.

Daniel Lynn Conrad. The Quick Proposal Workbook: How to Produce Better Grant Proposals in 25-50% Less Time. 1980. Public Management Institute, 333 Hayes St., San Francisco 94102 (tel. 41S/431-8444). 117 pp.

Lawrence L. Krasnow, "Legal Aspects of Conservation: Basic Considerations of Contracts & Negligence," Technology and Conservation 7:1, 38-40, Spr. 1982.

Nancy Carlson Schrock. Records in Architectural Offices. Massachusetts Committee for the Preservation of Architectural Records, P.O. Box 129, Cambridge MA 02142. $5.00. 26 pp. Surveys practices of 1004- organizations and offers guidelines.

Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior. Volunteer Handbook: A Resource Guide on Volunteerism for Park and Recreation and Heritage Conservation Organizations. Sept. 1978. U.S.G.P.O.: 1979--693-078. The HCRS is at 440 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20243. 44 pp.

The illustrations are hilarious, but the booklet is badly printed as far as binding goes: it is on stiff paper with the grain going the wrong way, and is stapled at the edge. Plan on using it in a looseleaf binder or rebinding it. Same for their other useful publication: Heritage Cons. & Rec. Serv., U.S. Dept. of Interior. Contract Services Handbook: Issues & Impacts for the Park and Recreation Manager. Oct. 1979. USGPO: 1979--693-094. 64 pp.

Questions addressed include: Does contracting out open new doors for fraud and corruption? Will public agency management lose control over the services delivered?

Two unsolicited review books on calligraphy came to the Newsletter office. Whoever wants them may have them. Call 301/424-6175 before 10 p.m. any day. They are: Arthur Baker's Copybook of Renaissance Calligraphy (26 pp.) and Masterpieces of Calligraphy, 261 Examples, 1500- 1800. Both are Dover books. The second has 200 pp.

Guild of Book Workers Journal, XVIII:l, 1979-1980 (issued 1982). This issue is devoted entirely to decorative paper and contains eight tipped-in samples. Articles are by Guyot, Kyle, Storm, Lada-Mocarski, Ziemann, Hauser, and Schimmel. There is a 10-page bibliography, compiled from six existing bibliographies; only 25 of the items listed are in the GBW Library. Obviously the Library needs to be remembered in more people's wills. The value of bookbinding books is high on the market, but the obvious solution of selling excess books is not the only one; people should consider donating them and then taking them off their income tax, as an alternative to dying.

Amanda Clydesdale. Chemicals in Conservation: A Guide to Possible Hazards and Safe Use. Scottish Society for Conservation and Restoration, c/o Conservation Science, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow G3 BAG, Scotland. 1982. Looseleaf format; gives information on 200 chemicals. £9.50 + £5.50 air or £3.00 surface; make checks out to "SSCR".

American Paper Institute Directory of Films. 1981? API, 260 Madison Ave., New York NY 10016. 20 PP., shingled like a paper sample book. Lists films issued by its members, to whom one must write individually to rent or buy the films. Five pulp or papermakers have sound-and- color films on how they make paper, all running 18-30 minutes; one of them is P.H. Glatfelter, a 100% alkaline mill. A feltmaker also tells how they make their product and Beloit Corporation has a film on papermaking in China "thousands of years" ago.

This list is revised and reissued at intervals. It is likely to go out of print between printings.

M.W. Engraving has changed its name. That's why your letters have been returned to you. Now it's Fine Engraving, Manufacturers of Fine Bookbinding Tools, 507 Whitesel Road, Hanover Industrial Air Park, Ashland, VA 23005 (804/798-8164). Their new 55-page catalog was put out by Phil Block and Stanley Cain and bound with ribbon and sealing wax There is no price sheet, but one is reminded of Alice's Restaurant--you can get anything you want. If you don't see what you want, you can send camera-ready copy. Otherwise, send a photocopy of the page with the item circled. Send $3.50 for catalog.

"Looking at Library Binders," Library Scene 11:1, 16-17, July-Aug. 1982. This is a table or chart showing which members of the Library Binding Institute offer which services. Of 53 library binders in the U.S. and Canada, 14 are listed as doing deacidification; 33, lamination; 39, restoration; and 36, sewing through the fold with the aid of equipment (presumably all 53 can do it by hand). No details are offered on what kind of deacidification, lamination, etc. is performed; but addresses are given, so individual inquiries could be made. Twenty-nine offer blank book binding, a style once widely used for books of account. Most of them are also listed for edition and fine binding.

Talas sells a lot of books on bookbinding and conservation: between 20 and 35, depending on whether you count books for the papermaker and librarian too. For a list, write Talas, 130 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011 (tel: 212/675-0718).

Oak Knoll Books, Catalogue Thirty-Nine: Bookbinding. Oak Knoll Books, 414 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE 19720. Of 160 volumes listed, 13 were priced over $400; 19 were published before 1900 and only one before 1800. The back part of the catalog is a list of ornaments and tools for sale (probably all gone by now), with prices. Ornaments are mostly $25 to $100 each, rolls $50-$160 each.

Matt I. Roberts and Don Etherington. Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology. ISBN 0-8444-0366-0. Washington, DC, 1982. x, 296 p. Prepared by Matt T. Roberts and Don Etherington with drawings by Margaret R. Brown and a foreword by Frederick R. Goff. For sale for $27 from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 (Stock No. 030-000-00126-5) or in person only from the Information Counter, ground floor, Jefferson Building.

Garland Publishing, 136 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, announces a 10% discount on any of the books reprinted in their series, "Nineteenth-Century Book Arts and Printing History," provided the order is accompanied by payment. A 40% discount will be given for prepayment of a full set. All books may be returned for a full refund for any reason within 30 days of receipt. The two books on bookbinding that they reprinted are Arnett's Bibliopegia Or, The Art of Bookbinding in all its Branches, and Nicholson's A Manual of the Art of Bookbinding [etc.].

David Pye. The Nature and Art of Workmanship. London: Studio Vista, 1968. Now distributed by Cambridge University Press. Paper.