1 GENERAL CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF BOOKS and OTHER LIBRARY MATERIALS Presentation by Joyce A. Brannan, Technical Services Librarian, Julia Tutwiler Library, University of West Alabama, Livingston, Alabama.

2 Hands should be clean before handling books and other library materials. Because many of our books are dusty, it is suggested that you wash your hands after handling the books as well as before.

3 Think you know how to wash your hands ? If you aren’t following these steps, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to infections, contamination, and spreading of pathogens. 1.Wet your hands and apply soap. 2.Rub all surfaces of your hands including nail beds and under the nails. 3.Rinse well. 4.Dry your hands, preferably using a paper towel. Do you know how long to wash before rinsing? Go to the next slide.

4 Try it next time you wash your hands. It will seem like a very long time, but 20 seconds is how long you should take to soap your hands, then rinse thoroughly.

5 Resist the temptation to eat or drink while handling books.

6 Food attracts mice and other rodents.

7 And roaches as well as other bugs. Silverfish and roaches eat paper, cardboard, and BOOKS!!!

8 The most common book pest is the book louse, or Psocid. They range in size from 1/24 th to 1/12 th of an inch. They eat the cellulose, paste, glue, leather, and book cloth. If you see one, there are others and eggs present. The book should be freeze dried. Do NOT just reshelve the book!! Book lice

9 What do I do if I find some bugs in a book? Take the book outside of the library. Shake the bugs out of the book. Put the book in a bag, write a note describing the problem, and place both on Ms. Brannan’s desk. Use your common sense! If it is crawling with many bugs, leave the book IN A BAG on the floor NEAR THE DESK!

10 What do these have in common? Water!! Moisture of any kind near books leads to...

11 MOLD and MILDEW Damaged books and

12 Learn to recognize mold on books. Moldy books should be cleaned with special cleaners. Put it in a bag, write a note explaining the problem, and put it on Ms. Brannan’s desk. THEN WASH YOUR HANDS! MOLD SPREADS! Wet books should not be shelved! Put them where they can dry.

13 Microwaves do not kill all mold spores, and will only kill active mold if heated to a point that also damages the object itself. Many books have metal parts (some book bindings, the magnetic tattle strips, etc.) that can cause sparking and fire, causing damage to both the item and the oven. Glue and adhesives may also melt and will weaken the binding.

14 When you see pages ripped in a book, your first reaction is to use tape to repair it. Don’t do it! Special tapes must be used in book repair. Give the book to Ms. Brannan. Also, special glues must be used in books.

15 Part of the damage to this book has been caused by a well intentioned person who tried to repair the book using the incorrect materials.

16 Don’t use paper clips or sticky notes in books or on archive papers. A few more do’s and don’ts. Don’t staple anything into a book. Don’t use staples on archival papers.

17 We have some phonograph records that do check out. These are not in the OPAC. Use the Music Card Catalog to find what we have and the check out cards are in a small drawer at the front desk.

18 Phonograph records should be stored in their covers. They must be kept standing on edge and perfectly straight. Records must not be exposed to high temperatures. Careless handling and storage may result in a warped record.

19 These are very old music cylinders. We do have a few of these in the archives. These will be handled only by the archivist! If you see one, please place it on Dr. Snider’s desk.

20 FOR MORE INFORMATION American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Book repair and pamphlet binding unit. University of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, Robinson Library, Conservation.

21 Photography Credits 1.Flinders University of South Australia National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse pa.htm pa.htm 3.Goodhuman’s Shopping. and_shower_gel. and_shower_gel 4.New York City Department of Education, Office of School Food and Nutrition Services. osfns.org/day_3/sld003.htm. osfns.org/day_3/sld003.htm 5.Northwestern University Library m/chapter04.html m/chapter04.html

22 6. Photo Pack Rat Solosnake.com Kentucky Symbols Kid’s Korner, Wired for Books, Ohio University Netcam National Park Service Museum Resource Center Easy Insects Ozone Termite and Pest Control Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives Spring Hill Elementary School Library, McLean, Virginia

North Little Rock Water Department Conquin, Inc. USDA Forest Service Kids Corner Robinson Library, University of Newcastle on Tyne, United Kingdom Aristotle University Central Library, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign BMS Catastrophe Catoutofthebag.com

Syspark, Inc. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gaylord University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Springfield Paper Specialties Train of Thought, High-Fi and Stereo Recording, AT&T Labs Research History. History of the Victrola, The Victor Victrola Page by Paul C. Edie.

25 18.Kauflust, Berlin. Close the Loop. closetheloop/info_RP4038.htmlhttp:// closetheloop/info_RP4038.html 19. The Cornucopia Concert Band.