In-House Book Binding and Repair

Although some book-repair projects may come with the warning, ”Don”t try this at home,” library staff can safely handle many projects. In her new book, In-House Bookbinding and Repair, Sharon McQueen explains how to set up a basic bookbindery and repair lab and provides instruction on rebinding and repairing cloth-bound books. Extensive illustrations by Ellen Latorraca depict the repair techniques, making this a practical reference tool for staff.

This is a well-illustrated guide that is better than the brief materials provided by the supply houses….Bottom line: Worth the price.

…offers excellent advice about planning; a good reminder about some critical aspects that often get lost in the push to begin work….We applaud Dr. McQueen”s attempt. We haven”t had a new book for in-house repairs in a while. Reading the book”s preface, and the author”s long list of acknowledgments, we quickly feel her unbridled enthusiasm for library preservation and book conservation repair. What a joy to read of someone”s passion for a task that is quite time-consuming and detailed. Often the public sees a book repaired, sitting on a shelf, and rarely realizes the effort-the hour or more that one or more library staff took to return it to usable condition. We appreciate that a professor takes on the challenge of supporting in-house conservation repair departments. Thank you, Dr. McQueen.

McQueen, U. of Kentucky library school, has done a workmanlike job that is unusual only in its 30 pages of ideas for administrators on setting up a binding/repair studio. The repair portion, 60 pages, covers material that is accessible in many other manuals. The last 25 pages include a glossary, list of suppliers, web resources, and a bibliography. The book was written for use in a course taught by James Twomey at the library school of the U. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.