Last Minute Preservation Gifts

Taking a cue from the Goodson Blogson we present our first preservation holiday gift guide. If you don't know what to give that conservator or preservation librarian in your life, never fear, Preservation Underground is here.

Books

You can never have too many, right? With so many to choose from where do you start?

Preservation: Issues and Planning by Paul Banks and Roberta Pilette. A well written collection of essays that provides an overview of what library and archives preservation programs entail.

Science for Conservators volumes one through three. Organic chemistry for non-scientists. A must for any conservator.

ABC of Bookbinding by Jane Greenfield. A clearly written thesaurus of bookbinding terms and book structure history.

Emergency Supplies

Too depressing you say? Preservation people eat, sleep and live this stuff.

React Pak will have you recovering from that pipe leak fast. Of course, you can put your own together and customize it any way you want.

Emergency Response Salvage Wheel from Heritage Preservation. It even has a magnet on the back to hang it on your fridge.

Hard core gift givers will purchase the Heritage Preservation combo pack which includes the Field Guide to Emergency Response and an Emergency Response wheel. Heck, they'll even thrown in Working With Emergency Responders: Tips for Cultural Institutions for free when you buy both.

For the Bookbinders in Your Life

Face it, people who actually MAKE things are hard to buy for. Here's a few ideas to get you started.

Diary Blocks for 2010. Sure, you could buy a wall calendar at a big box store, but then you wouldn't be able to put a beautiful binding on it.

Blank Book Kits are great for those of you writing that great American novel by hand.

Decorative Blue Paper for your favorite Duke or UNC Chapel Hill Fan. You prefer Wolfpack red? no worries, there's paper for that, too.

Bone Folders make great stocking stuffers or hostess gifts. Trust me, they do, especially when they are this lovely.

Life Long Learning

Who can ever know enough? give them the gift that keeps on giving.

Book binding classes can be found for every skill level.

Calligraphy classes can help with that handwriting, you have to fill all those blank pages somehow.

Interested in audio visual preservation? digital preservation? there are classes for that, too.

After Dinner Mint

Finally, when all seems lost and you need just one more perfect gift, how about a unique hand made book bound into a mint tin? You know you want one.

Happy holidays to all. May your winter break be free of frozen pipes and lumps of coal. What would you like to find in your stocking this year?

Listing does not imply endorsement by Duke University or Duke University Libraries.