Part 2

With powdered pumice stone, rub on with a clean cloth. With damp cloth, be careful that cloth is not too wet.

Rub always from inner margin of the page outward, to prevent crumpling.

Brush off carefully all particles of rubber, or pumice stone, allowing none to remain in the folds between the leaves.

Mud stains may be removed by using a soft brush or sponge, with a preparation of the following proportions: One cup water, one teaspoon ammonia, four drops carbolic acid. Avoid too much rubbing or print will blur. Slip the pressing tin under the page, and after washing, place white blotting paper on each side of the leaf.

Ink stains may be removed by one of the standard ink eradicators to be obtained of local stationer or druggist.

Edges of the leaves may be cleaned by sandpapering, holding the leaves of the book very firmly together, or putting book into press.

COVERS

SOILED COVERS may be cleaned by using a hard eraser, pumice stone or soap and water. The best results are obtained by the use of the following wash:

Two parts good vinegar and one part water. Apply with a clean cloth and rub hard until dirt is removed, then place upright to dry. This should not be used on leather.

The book should then be shellacked.

SHELLACKED COVERS. New books may receive preliminary care by shellacking before placing in circulation. Shellacking the covers, especially those in light colors, provides great protection from dirt, and they are then easily washed with the vinegar and water. Another coat of shellac is advisable after washing.

To shellac, hold the book by the printed matter and apply the shellac, which may be diluted with a little wood alcohol, taking care to shellac the edges well. Give two coats; between coats suspend on a cord over night to dry. After the last coat, rub with soft cloth slightly oiled with olive oil. This prevents sticking.

If the books are labeled before shellacking, the ink must be allowed to dry thoroughly or it may run; in removing the labels, use wood alcohol first to cut the shellac and then soak off with blotting paper and water.

Care should be taken in the selection of the shellac; if not, the books will be gummy and hard.

The leather on bound magazines and books often becomes very dry and will split and crack. This is especially true of books not greatly used, as the oil of the hands acts as a great preservative. To prevent this cracking and splitting, some oil is necessary. Vaseline is good for this, applied with a cotton pad covered with a soft cloth, and should remain on the leather for a day to permit absorption of the oil. Some leathers will absorb a second application, after which books may be rubbed down and returned to shelves. The oil or vaseline does not harm the gilding. This may be done once a year, depending upon the condition of heat in library and upon age and condition of leather bound books.

WORN COVERS may be replaced on books with leather backs by removing cloth from the boards dry, and using this as a pattern from which to cut new cloth or paper. Reline inside of boards with paper.

COVERS SPLIT AT JOINT. Strips of cloth in assorted colors may be obtained with other mending supplies to reinforce covers split at the joints.

This cloth may be obtained gummed or ungummed; if ungummed, use paste; if gummed, moisten with thin paste.

BINDING RECORD

PREPARATION OF BOOKS FOR THE BINDERY. Closely related to the work of mending and repair of books is the preparation of books for the bindery. Binders have complained of the careless and unbusiness-like methods of some librarians in this matter. Attention should always be given to the following:

Handle a book to be bound with more care than when the binding is sound.

Collate every book to make sure that no pages are missing, unless it is ascertained that the binder includes this process in his work.

Many librarians have ceased to make bindery slips, except in the case of important books requiring complicated titles or for magazines. When slip is not made, an excellent way to indicate the lettering for the back of book is to underscore lightly in lead pencil on title page, the specific words in title desired; for author underscore twice.

The material to be used for binding is generally decided upon in advance by conference or correspondence with binder.

Magazines should be carefully examined to make sure that each volume is complete, including title page and index. The librarian should write to the publisher for these, if they are not received within a reasonable time after the volume is completed. If missing, instruct binder to bind in stubs so that they may be inserted when obtained.

In giving directions for magazines to be bound with stubs, state whether stubs are to be at the beginning or end of the volume. Look over previous volumes of set that your volumes may be uniform in the placing of the index, and follow the printer's arrangement.

Send an alphabetical list of the books to the bindery for checking purposes. Keep a duplicate copy.

File alphabetically in charging tray the book cards that have been removed from the books; charge these to the bindery.

Magazines should have a bindery slip made and a sample volume already bound sent that each set may be uniform as to color of cover, lettering, etc. A rubbing of a bound volume can easily be made and sent in place of the volume. If the binder has previously bound magazines for you he has doubtless made sample backs for his own convenience. The slip should show definitely the placing and abbreviations of volume numbers, dates, etc.

WHEN BOOKS ARE RETURNED FROM THE BINDERY. Examine carefully for flexibility--should not be too stiff and hard to open; evenness of cover; compactness; correct and even lettering; reasonably wide margins.

Check books with duplicate list.

Pay no bills until all mistakes are rectified. Mistakes in lettering can be corrected, and when this occurs return to the bindery.

Enter in accession book under "remarks," opposite the entry of each book the date when the book was rebound: e. g., "reb'd 1 Jc., '20"; also on inside of lower front cover near the joint. A rubber stamp at small expense may be ordered from any stamp works, with the word "reb'd" to be inserted in the pencil date holder with the date. This saves writing.

Enter on the monthly report blank the total number of books rebound. (This gives data for yearly total and obviates the necessity of keeping binding book.)

TEMPORARY BINDERS

The Gaylord Bros.' red rope binder provides an inexpensive magazine binder, both for the current periodicals in use in the reading room and those in circulation. The cover of the magazine may be pasted on the outside of the binder, and after the current month the magazine may be circulated just as a book, without damage for future binding. A good quality of wrapping paper may be used in place of the red rope paper. It is less expensive and wears fairly well.

Information as to terms used in binding and mending and illustrations of the structure of a book may be found in the following:

A. L. A. Committee--Binding for libraries A. L. A. Publishing Board

Bailey, A. L.--Library Bookbinding Wilson Co.

Cockrell, Douglass--Book binding and the care of books Appleton

Coutts, H. T., and Stephens, G. A.--Manual of library book binding Libraco, London

Dana, J. C.--Book binding for libraries Library Bureau

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Transcriber's note:

Errors in punctuations and inconsistent hyphenation were not corrected unless otherwise noted.

On page 17, "next the" was replaced with "next to the".

On page 20, a period was added after "crumpling".