Volume 9, Number 3
May 1985

News

An Alternative to Accelerated Aging Tests

Anna Stenstrom sent from Dublin a newspaper clipping describing a technique developed by a postgraduate student at Sussex University which accurately measures the rate at which organic material is deteriorating. The technique makes use of the fact that a very small amount of light is given out by these materials when they deteriorate. This is called oxyluminescence.

Eion O'Keefe, of the university's School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, has developed a Photon-Counting Luminescence Detector (PLD) which is able to detect these small pulses of light and produce automatically an accurate measure of the state of the material.

The material being tested is placed in a highly sensitive light detector, called a photomultiplier tube, which is linked to a digital processor, and on to a BBC microcomputer. The computer is programmed to count the pulses of light and carefully monitor and interpret what is going on.

[Peter Waters has said that the choice of treatment for an artifact should be based on its rate of deterioration. He has also emphasized the importance of the concept of estimated life expectancy. The PLD could give useful measures for this purpose. Another measure of rate of deterioration, involving H₂O₂ and the Russell effect, was reported in this Newsletter last year on p. 66.]

Update on Computers in Conservation

The March AIC Newsletter includes a list of conservators using computers, sent in by Betty Fiske of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It includes the names of four book and paper conservators not in the list published in the April Information Retrieval Supplement of this Newsletter:

Paul Banks - Decmate II (word processing, financial records) and Morrow MD3 (word processing, statistics)
Tim Vitale - Decmate II - Word processing
Nancy Harris - IBM-PC - word processing, statistics
Virginia Lake - Texas Instruments - Graphics, modem, word processing, treatment records

Almost everybody also has a printer. Apparently most people who write in for information are interested in evaluations of data base management software.

Computer Software for Indexing

Gary Gillum, a librarian and Macintosh user whose office is next to the Newsletter editor's office, did the index for the last volume, because he is also an indexer. He contributes the following information:

Microsoft Corporation now has a computer program for the Macintosh computer which can be used for indexing. Called Microsoft File, this program is the indexer's answer to computerized indexing of books and journals. This data management program works extremely well using a 512 Macintosh with an external disc drive. It can create 65,535 records in a data-file, with up to 1,023 fields in a record, and 32,767 characters in a field. I have seen File successfully produce, alphabetize, and print out an index of nearly 1000 lines.

If you are interested in Microsoft File, contact your local computer store or write to: Microsoft, Customer Sales and Service, 10700 Northup Way, Bellevue, WA 98004.

Here is a portion of Mr. Gillum's index, done on Microsoft File, reduced by the computer to 50% of the original 12 Pt. size. (Bear in mind that it has been further reduced to about 85%, along with the rest of this newsletter, before it was printed.) the lines between rows and columns are optional.

A Different Kind of Workshop on Leather Binding

Following her recent vellum workshop in Cleveland, Silvia Rennie is planning to give a one-week workshop at her house some time in the summer or early fall. The main emphasis would be on full leather binding with onlays according to the Ascona method. Beside this, an informal set of demonstrations could be organized of how to decorate papers with marbling oil colors and with inks; how to make small round decorative boxes in full leather, how to make Solander (as opposed to clamshell) boxes; French headbanding, Bradel bindings, or anything else people would be particularly interested in. Five students could live in the house and if more wished to participate, any number of tents could be erected on the grounds (a non-working farm). The price would be kept as low as possible and would depend on the member of students (the more students, the lower the price). the only time that would be impossible would be the second half of August. September might be possible also. People interested in the idea may contact Silvia Rennie at 705, Highway 51, Stoughton, WI 53589 (608/873-9799).

First Book Arts Grads From Mills College Exhibit Work

A two-year program in hook arts leading to a master' s degree at Mills College in Oakland, California, was announced in this Newsletter in the May 1983 supplement to v.7 #2. Now the first graduates are exhibiting their work in the College's Prieto Gallery May 5 through May 26. They are Tracy Davis, Catherine Mills, Vivian Matsutsuyu and Lester Ferriss. Their exhibited works are described in a news release obtainable from Susan Shea, Mills Office of Public Information, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Kathy Walkup is the coordinator of the program.

PLMS, RLMS & RBMS Meeting Dates

The Reproduction of Library Materials Section of RTSD of ALA will meet mostly on Saturday July 6 in Chicago; the Preservation Microfilming group, for instance, meets at 11:30 am that day. They also have a tour of the Newberry Library on Tuesday.

The Preservation of Library Materials Section (PLMS) has various committee meetings from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Sunday July 7, and on Monday afternoon the Discussion Group meets. Monday evening the ALA/AAP group meets to discuss children's books, including their bindings, and the PLMS Executive Committee holds its final meeting Tuesday am July 9. This year in the discussion group the preservation administrators will lay plans for getting together regularly to discuss matters of common concern relating to their jobs.

The Hare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) will meet as usual in the same town but during the week preceding the ALA meeting. Its committees however, will meet during the first part of the ALA meeting, probably July 6-9.

Because this information was gathered over the telephone, it may not be as accurate as usual. The official program schedule should be out this week with definitive data from ALA.

People who have ideas they would like to see discussed should call or write the chairman of the appropriate committee and get it on the agenda. The PLMS chairmen, and their phone numbers or addresses (as available) are: PLMS Chair, Carolyn Harris (404/542-2716); Education, Sally Roggia (618/ 536-2171); Library/Binders Relations, Pat Gladis (363 Hillman Library, Univ. Pittsburgh, Pittsb., PA 15260); Physical Quality of Library Materials, Wes Boomgaarden (1970 Suffolk Av., Apt. C, Upper Arlington, OH 43221); Policy & Research, Robert deCandido (716 E. 235th St., Bronx, NY 10466); Discussion Group (open to persons interested in the purposes of the group), Gay Walker (203/436-2200 or 436-8176).

Advanced Bookbinding at Digby Stuart College

A three-semester sequence in advanced bookbinding, established by Jen Lindsay at Digby Stuart College in West London, has completed its first year. Ms. Lindsay, who teaches the course with Denise Lubett, writes that it has been very successful. She says it is the only course of its kind in England; it is quite specific in its subject matter and has to be followed through from the start. The flyer for the course says it meets one full day per week for 10 or 11 weeks per term. The sessions are structured to work through a full leather designed binding over a period of three terms (i.e., 31 days). They cover all aspects of structure and technique, e.g. rough edge gilding, board structure, leather-jointed endpapers, paring and covering, leather doublures and onlays. The cost for 1984-85 was £75. The flyer and application form are available from C. Jarman, R.I.C.E. Office, Digby Stuart College, Roehampton Lane SW15 5PH, England.

Library Binding Institute Moves Again

For a long time it was in Boston; then a couple of years ago it moved to Wayzata, Minnesota; now it has moved to 150 Allens Creek Road, Rochester, NY 14618. This puts the LBI (trade association of library binders and publishers of the New Library Scene) in the same town as the LBI Book Testing Laboratory, where Werner Rebsamen is. It will also be in the same town as the library where Bernard Middleton's library will eventually be housed (see "RIT Acquires Middleton Library," AN Dec. 1983, p. 69).