Preservation Goes Social

These little things called blogs are really catching on in preservation-land. Preservation Underground was one of the first library preservation department blogs out there. Now we are finding ourselves in some very good company. To celebrate the spread of library preservation through this thing we call the internet, I want to point you to some other blogs you may find interesting.

Preservation and Conservation Administration News (check out their blog roll)

Parks Library Preservaiton (Iowa State University)

Preservation @ ZSR (Wake Forest)

Preservation Beat (University of Iowa)

Preservation (UCLA)

IUL Preservation Lab (Indiana University)


Feel free to add more to this list, we'd love to give everyone their 15 minutes. There are a few departments using Flickr and FaceBook, too, although we are still one of the few. Thanks for reading!


Image from Duke University Libraries digital collection Ad Access.

'From Caricature to Comic Strip'

On Monday we helped install the new exhibit in the Perkins Gallery. "Abusing Power" is curated by Neil McWilliam, Walter H. Annenberg Professor in the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, and several of his students in his course "From Caricature to Comic Strip." It coincides with another exhibit now at the Nasher Museum called "Lines of Attack: Conflicts in Caricature," on display until May 16, 2010.

We love working with Meg Brown, Exhibits Curator for Perkins Library. Conservation creates many of the book supports you see in the exhibit space. We also help install the exhibits, being sure the items are well supported and in good condition for viewing. It's great to work collaboratively in this way, and so much fun to see the new exhibit take shape. I especially enjoy seeing all of the students, faculty and staff stop to see what is happening in the space and what's coming next. Frankly, I just love getting out of the basement and into the thick of things for a change.

I invite you to come by and see the wonderful display of 19th Century materials and learn a little about the evolution of caricatures as an art form. Be sure to check out Devil's Tale for more on this exhibit. The online images from the exhibit were made in the Digital Production Center.

Exhibit Case Art

Some enterprising person left us a little something on the exhibit case over the weekend. Is this perhaps an ode to the great sculptor Alberto Giacometti and the recent record breaking sale of his "Walking Man"? Who knows, what I do know is it made me smile on this grey Monday morning.

I was able to take a couple of images before someone cleaned them up. Perhaps this artist is on the way to selling their artwork for $104.3 million per piece just like Giacometti. One can only dream.

Later today we will be helping to install the next exhibit called "Abusing Power: Satirical Journals from the Special Collections Library" which coincides with the Nasher Museum exhibit "Lines of Attack: Conflicts in Caricature."

The Scribe Project

Starting in summer 2008, Duke Libraries Digital Collections Program has partnered with the Carolina Digital Library and Archives at UNC-Chapel Hill to pilot test their Internet Archive Scribe scanning station. Since then, we've digitized nearly 300 titles on the UNC-Chapel Hill Scribe, including Duke's yearbook The Chanticleer from 1912-1995, Utopian literature, Victorian women's literature, advertising publications, and other materials. All are freely available on the Internet Archive page for Duke University Libraries.

Conservation is helping with this project by inspecting items before they are sent out for imaging. We preview those books that seem particularly fragile to determine if they can be scanned safely. If the paper is too brittle or if the binding is too damaged we may not let it go. Saying "no" is fairly rare, however, as part of our mission is to make the collections accessible.

Once the books come back from the Scribe, we construct custom four-flap boxes (aka "tuxedo" boxes) for the items we flagged earlier. It just so happens that today is Boxing Day, so the books from this last shipment are in the lab getting fitted for their tuxedos.

Jill Katte, Coordinator, Digital Collections Program, contributed to this post.

What's in the Digital Production Center?

Yesterday we started digitizing our collection of Ethiopic scrolls. Last year these were sent to Conservation for rehousing. They had been rolled up tight and were difficult if not impossible to use. Conservation created large cores out of buffered corrugated board wrapped in buffered paper (photo left). The larger cores will help relax the tightly wound scrolls which should make them easier to use.

Now they are in the Digital Production Center (DPC) to be imaged. DPC is working closely with Conservation as these are pretty tricky to handle and to photograph. The scrolls are made of either vellum or leather which stretches and gets distorted when stored under less than ideal conditions (that would be prior to them coming to RBMSCL of course). That is a nice way of saying these things are not at all flat nor easy to photograph.

First, we had to create a mechanism to hold the scrolls in place under the camera while at the same time allowing us to unwind them from start to finish (photo left). We are using two corrugated cores, Ethafoam strips and magnets to hold everything in place. Since the scrolls are too long and distorted to image unrolled in one shot, we have to photograph a few inches at a time.

The process goes like this: the conservator unrolls about eight inches of scroll, the camera operator takes an image and makes sure the image is in focus or as close to it as a very wavy piece of vellum can be. If the image is a little blurry, he adjusts the camera and shoots another photograph. If that image passes quality control, the conservator unrolls another section and the process continues until the scroll is imaged from top to bottom. We can take between 8 and 15 images per scroll depending on the length and condition of the vellum.

Our first day went well and we learned a lot. It can be a slow, painstaking process because of the condition of the materials, luckily we know a little something about working efficiently under these conditions since we do it every day. We love challenging projects like this one because we get to work collaboratively, handle amazing materials and really put our skills to the test.

There are a few more images on our Flickr page as well as our FaceBook page if you are interested in seeing more of the scrolls.

What's In Conservation? A Map the Size of London (almost)

What's 6-3/4 feet high by 13 feet long? This London map printed in 1747 by John Rocque of course! Originally issued in 24 panels, this map is a very detailed map of the city complete with pubs, churches and other points of interest. It came to our attention through a cataloger in RBMSCL who needs it opened and flattened so he can describe it.


This arrived in six rolls, each roll having four, 40 by 70 centimeter panels attached to a linen backing (pictured above). The first step was to meet with the curator to discuss treatment options. Everyone decided that separating each panel would make it easier to catalog and store, and ultimately much more usable as an object. As these were originally printed in panels we all felt that separating them was acceptable.

After getting the go-ahead we carefully cut the panels at the "seams" leaving each panel adhered to its linen support. Next we dry-cleaned the front and back of each panel to remove surface dirt. Each roll will go into a humidification chamber (pictured left) to relax the paper and fabric so it can be unrolled and flattened between felts and a heavy weight. Once flat, we will repair the damaged areas and create a housing for them as a group. Then back they go to cataloging and ultimately the shelf so that you, too, can request to look at them.

The Superbowl of Books: EBF V

This weekend many of us will gather together with friends and family members to celebrate the great eating tradition that is Superbowl XLIV. If you find yourself in need of something to think about between watching the commercials, I recommend contemplating your entry to that other great eating tradition, the Edible Book Festival.

EBF V will take place on April 1, 2010, from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Gothic Reading Room. Everyone is welcome to participate. There are two rules:

The book must be made out of food products.

All edible books must be "bookish" through the integration of text, literary inspiration or, quite simply, the form.

Other than that the sky is the limit and the definition of "edible" is up to you. There is plenty of inspiration at the International Edible Book Festival website and our very own EBF I-IV images. We especially encourage students of all ages and grade levels to make something for the festival.

Bring your entries to the Gothic Reading Room by 1:45pm on the day of the festival so you have time to fill out the entry form. If you have questions, feel free to contact us. See you on April 1st!


"Roots" by Jamie Bradway [text and covers made with root vegetables, tied with licorice]

What's In Your Disaster Kit?

A confluence of events including the upcoming May Day events, Preservation Week, this weekend's weather and the subsequent adventure getting to work today prompted me to check the supplies in my personal disaster kit.

Good thing I did, the batteries for my flashlight are nearly dead, my old goggles have developed some weird oily/sticky film (those are not going near my eyes), and my respirator's strap has broken. Those will all get replaced. I got a small first aid kit for Christmas, that would be a good addition. I also need to put a pocket disaster plan in there (Duke library staff can get one from the Preservation Department). And where did the pair of warm socks wander off to?

As we make our way towards hurricane season I'd like to remind everyone to check the supplies in both your personal kit and in your library's disaster supply closet. Restock or replace what is missing or damaged now. Don't wait until there's a problem to find out your batteries are dead or your warm socks are missing.