1. Remove book from the cover; cut out old super from the back of the cover; thoroughly clean the back of the book of super and glue without injuring the backs of the signatures. Lift the lining-paper from the back and front boards of the cover and remove the old super. Scrape with a knife the glue which does not come off with the super. If the back of the book seems to be much thicker than the fore edge, pound down with a backing-hammer.
2. Cut strips of muslin (or canton flannel) a little shorter than the height of the book, wide enough to cover the back and to extend over the boards 1-1/4 inches on each side.
3. Cut enough flexible glue to fill a double-boiler glue pot half full when dissolved. When the water comes to a boil the glue, which must be used hot to get good results, will generally be ready to use. If it is still too thick, add a little hot water to thin it.
4. Turn back the lining paper on front and back covers, spread the glue on the inside of the back of the cover and on the boards where the lining has been turned back.
5. Put the strip of muslin in the place just glued; then rub down the lining paper over the muslin.
6. Even up the book by tapping it on the table so that no leaves will project at the top, bottom orfront.
7. Holding the book firmly in the hand, glue the back.
8. Place the back on the muslin lining previously glued to the back of the cover, care being taken to see that the book is not put in upside down.
9. Fold over the cover and, taking the entire book firmly in the left hand, with the right hand push the book firmly back into the cover. This will prevent it from becoming concave.
10. Crease the joints with a bone folder and rub down the back.
11. When the book is dry, open it and, if necessary, paste new papers over the inside covers. This is necessary, because it is frequently impossible to turn back the lining and remove the old super without making an unsightly piece of work.
Rules for recovering can be used only when books do not need to be resewed.
1. Remove cover from the main part of the book.
2. Remove with a dull knife the cloth from the outside and inside of the cover until the two boards are clean, being careful not to cut into the board itself. It is not worth while to remove old paper sides or end papers.
3. Remove superfluous glue, super, etc., from the back. If the book has been overcast, and small strips of leather have been placed over the back, paste the ends of these strips of leather to the end papers.Such a book will also have end papers guarded which will remain as an integral part of the book.
4. If the book has not been overcast, it will be necessary to add end papers. This can be done by using two sheets which when folded once will be the size of the leaves of the book. One of these should be a 60-pound and the other an 80-pound manila paper, both guarded entirely around the fold with jaconet. Whipstitch the 60-pound fly-leaves to the first and last sections of the book, then whipstitch the 80-pound, being careful to pass the needle back through the first section. Paste one of the fly-leaves and one of the end papers together.
If the book has been oversewed, cut the end papers of 80-pound manila or 60-pound kraft paper the size of the book and paste on the entire surface of the fly leaves which are integral parts of the book. It will not be necessary to guard these new end papers.
5. Trim the new fly leaves and end papers the exact size of the book.
6. Mark the boards and book with corresponding numbers so as to identify them.
7. Place boards on the book to within one-eighth of an inch of the back and mark the distance from the back.
8. Measure exactly the distance across the back between marks just made on the end papers.
9. Select the proper cloth with which to cover the book. Place the boards on the cloth, allowing the width necessary for the back as measured in No. 8.
10. Mark around boards on cloth.
11. Cut cloth, allowing approximately an inch and a quarter all around outside edge of the boards.
12. Glue the entire surface of the cloth.
13. Place boards on markings previously made, pressing down firmly on the glued cloth.
14. Put stiff paper, previously cut to the proper size, on the glued cloth between the boards, to prevent the glue from sticking to the back of the book. This should not be done if the book must have a tight back.
15. Turn in the corners as follows: Take the exact corner of the cloth and turn it straight in over the corner of the board. Next turn in the end and then the side. Rub down well with a bone folder.
16. With bone folder, round the corners, and crease the joints at the back.
17. Put the case so formed into a press for a few minutes.
18. Cut a strip of thin, tough muslin or canton flannel one-half inch shorter than the height of the book and wide enough to extend an inch on each side of the book.
19. Glue the back of the book and put on the muslin or canton flannel.
20. Glue the entire surface of the completed case.
21. With the fore edge in the right hand, lay book in its proper place on the right-hand cover, draw up the left-hand cover and lay it on top. Open the book, rub down the end papers well with bone folder, and rub down the back; also crease the joints.
22. Put book in press over night.
23. Letter by hand either with black or whiteink as the case demands.
Many books which have been rebound with leather backs come to the binding department with the cloth sides badly frayed at the corners or edges. If the sewing is good and the book is clean, it is worth while to put on new sides.
1. Remove cloth sides and smooth off the inside of the board with a dull knife.
2. Cut two pieces of cloth a little larger than the sides.
3. Glue the inner surface of the cloth and place on the book, turning in the corners as described in 15 on page 187.
4. Put book in the press.
5. After book is dry, paste a single end paper over the inside of each cover.
In Chapter 6 will be found a discussion of the advisability of purchasing books bound from the sheets or in reinforced publisher's covers. While it is advisable on the whole to have reinforcing done by regular library binders, the work can be done in large libraries that have proper equipment and labor. The essential principles of reinforcing are the same in all libraries that practice it, though they may differ as to minor details. The following method has proved satisfactory.
1. Remove the book from its cover, which is laidaside for future use. If the call number is to be gilded it will be easier to do it before the cover is removed than after it is replaced.
2. Make end papers and fly-leaves of 60-pound kraft paper or 80-pound manila, guarded with jaconet on one side of the sheet. End papers should be guarded on the inside of the fold.
3. Oversew the fly-leaves to the first and last sections of the book, being careful that stitches are not over one-eighth of an inch deep.
4. Sew the end papers to the fly-leaves which have just been oversewed, and paste fly-leaves and end papers together.
5. Apply a thin coating of flexible glue to the back of the book and put over it a piece of thin canton flannel cut as long as the book and wide enough to extend an inch on each side. This should be well rubbed down.
6. Paste the canton flannel which projects on the side to the end papers.
7. Glue one side of the book and place it on the proper side of the cover. Glue the side remaining uppermost and draw the cover up over it.
8. Rub both sides and back until sure that the glue is well forced into them.
9. If desired, the book may be given a coat of white shellac and one of varnish, after which it should be wiped with a paraffine cloth.
1. Cut red rope manila cardboard the exact size of the two covers plus the width of the back.
2. Remove the cover of magazine or pamphlet, if possible keeping it in one piece.
3. Fit the red rope cover over the magazine, creasing carefully at the joints with a folder so that it will lie flat across the back as well as over the sides.
4. Glue the back of the magazine with flexible glue and press it firmly into the improvised cover. Rub down the back with a folder.
5. Thread a needle with stout linen thread and, using it double, at the middle of the book put the needle through from the inside to the outside. Leave about two inches of thread projecting on the inside.
6. Put the needle through from the outside about an inch from the head of the book. The needle must come through in the same section where the thread is projecting.
7. Carry the thread through to about the same distance from the tail of the book and again put the needle through from the inside to the outside.
8. Return the needle at the same place where the first stitch was taken and tie to the thread left projecting in such a way as to hold fast the long thread through the center.
9. Paste the paper cover previously removed on to the new cover.
This method can be used for all pamphlets one-half inch or more thick; even for those two inchesthick, provided that the use they will receive is slight. In the case of the thicker unbound books, it is necessary to sew them in two or three places.
Few libraries can afford to have all call numbers gilded. Therefore it is necessary either to letter directly on the book, or to put call numbers in ink on a white label which has first been placed on the book. Much objection exists to these gummed labels, because it is claimed that they come off very easily and the work soon has to be done over again. Undoubtedly this is true if the labels are not properly put on; but if care be taken, there is no reason why the white gummed labels should not last until it is necessary to rebind a book, when of course the call number will be gilded.
Two points must be remembered in applying labels.
1. They must be put on at an even distance from the bottom of the book. Perhaps nothing else will give a library such an unsightly appearance as uneven labels—some at the top, some in the middle and some at the bottom. The exact distance from the bottom of the book is not one of great importance, but the bottom of the label should not be less than 1-1/4 inches from the bottom of the book, nor more than two inches. Whatever distance is adopted, it will be necessary to have a piece of cardboard which may be used as a measure when applying the label.
2. Labels must be fastened so securely that theywill not come off. This seems sufficiently obvious, but as a matter of fact many assistants who do this work do not spend sufficient time to do it right.
The following directions should be followed:
a.If the book is new, it will be necessary to break down the glazed surface of the cloth or leather where the label is to be placed. To do this, use ammonia diluted somewhat with water. Use a brush about the width of the label and draw across the back of the book at the proper place. After having done ten or a dozen books, it is best to wipe off the ammonia with a piece of cheesecloth which brings with it the glaze.
b.Labels are not put on until books are dry. Use labels made of extra heavy paper, so that they will not turn dark when shellac is applied later. They may be moistened on a wet sponge or on some one of the numerous moisteners, or better still, they may be dipped quickly in hot water with a pair of tweezers. In using some labels it is not inadvisable to cover the gummed surface with a thin coating of paste. As soon as the label is pasted on the book straight and in proper alignment, it should be pressed firmly down with a piece of cheesecloth. This part of the operation should not be hurried and considerable pressure should be used until the label has firmly adhered.
c.When dry, letter with India ink and cover label with a very thin coating of white shellac. Later, when the first coating is thoroughly dry, cover with a thicker coating of shellac. This should be donequickly and neatly. If the line of shellac is uneven the book has an unsightly appearance.
d.If books are thin, it is best to put labels on lengthwise. If very thin, put labels on front covers, near the back. If labels project over the back, trim with scissors.
If books have been used or have already had labels, the process is the same, except that no ammonia need be used.
Old labels which have been shellaced are hard to remove. The best way is to apply ammonia and water to the label, allowing it to soak in. When thoroughly moistened, remove with a dull knife. Removing dry labels by scraping with a knife injures the back of the book.
By Hand
It is sometimes feasible to letter with ink on the back of a book instead of putting on a label which holds the lettering. If the surface be glazed, it can be broken down with diluted ammonia, or sometimes merely a damp cloth will be sufficient.
So far as possible, letter with black India ink. Carter's white ink is the best for lettering dark colored cloths. It is sometimes difficult for a novice to use white ink, but it can be handled satisfactorily if one uses a stub pen which is kept perfectly clean and is always wiped before being dipped in the ink. Shake the bottle often and add water if ink is too thick.Gold ink should never be used.
When lettering is dry, apply shellac as described under Labeling.
With Type
Some of the larger libraries have found it economic to have a binder's printing outfit for lettering call numbers on all books, even when the library does not bind books. Such an outfit may be used of course for lettering author and title, but there will be little occasion to do this except in connection with a regular bindery. Call numbers, however, are so much more legible and permanent when put on with type that it should always be done whenever the number of accessions is sufficiently large to warrant the employment of some person to do the work. It does not, however, need experienced finishers and, if time permits, may be done by regular library assistants after some instruction and practice. It will be discovered, however, that lettering in gold on cloth is more difficult than on leather. For the benefit of those who wish to try it the following description is given.
Tools.The tools necessary are a pallet to hold the type; four fonts of brass type (lead, or type other than brass should never be used); long-bladed knife with straight edge for cutting gold leaf; cutting pad; gas burner similar to the burners on cook stoves; and a frame with wooden screws in which to hold thebook while it is being stamped.
Materials.The materials needed are the best American gold leaf, cotton batting, sweet oil, some specially prepared rubber for removing the excess gold leaf, and glaire.
The tools or materials which are used exclusively by binders can be obtained from any binders' supply house. Glaire is easily made as follows:
Take whites of three eggs; add three teaspoonfuls of vinegar and beat until it is a light froth. Let stand a few hours and strain through a piece of muslin into a bottle. If kept corked glaire will keep for some time.
Process.1. Place on finishing bench, backs up, books on which call numbers are to be gilded.
2. With a small sponge, apply the glaire to the part of the back which is to receive the call number, taking care to draw the sponge evenly across the back, leaving a straight line. If the application of glaire makes that part of the book appear radically different from the rest of the back, the glaire may be applied to the entire back. It should not be allowed to run over on the sides. Allow the glaire to dry thoroughly.
3. With a long-bladed knife, transfer a sheet of gold leaf to the cutting pad which must be thoroughly protected by screens from all draughts. If the gold leaf does not lie unwrinkled on the cutting pad breathe on it lightly. With the knife, cut the leaf in proper size for work to be done, being careful tomake the cuts clean, not ragged.
4. Arrange type in the pallet, beginning at the right, and put type in the gas to heat.
5. Screw book, back up, firmly in the frame.
6. With cotton batting, apply sweet oil to the part to be stamped, being careful to cover thoroughly this surface with the oil. This is done to make the gold stick.
7. Apply a piece of cotton, slightly oiled, to the gold leaf which will instantly stick. It can then be transferred to the book, where the sweet oil will hold it securely.
8. Test the type for heat. A little practice will soon teach the novice when the type is hot enough. The object of heating the type is to make the gold combine with the glaire in such a way as to cause the gold to adhere. It is better to have the type too cold rather than too hot. If it is too cold, the gold will not stick and the work must be done over again; if too hot, it burns the leather or cloth and the damage is irremediable. For cloth work the type can be used hotter than for leather.
9. Apply type to the book, pressing down firmly. The pressure makes an indentation. If the materials are of the right quality, the work carefully done and the type of the right degree of heat, the gold will be firmly embedded.
10. With the specially prepared rubber remove the waste gold. When the rubber has absorbed all the gold that it is capable of taking up, it may be sentto a dealer who will refine it and give credit for the gold which it contains. About one-third of the original cost of the gold should be obtained from the sale of the waste.
Whenever books are bound in light colored cloths on which gold does not readily show use a black ink specially made for this purpose. It is much easier to use than gold, since the ink is evenly spread on a smooth, hard surface and the type is used cold. No glaire is necessary.
One of the vexing questions which properly comes under the head of binding is that of magazine binders used on current periodicals in reading rooms. The binding of current numbers for circulation is described on page 190. It must be admitted that no binder on the market is perfectly satisfactory. Some hold the periodicals satisfactorily but are hard to adjust. Others are easy to adjust but the magazines slip out easily, or can with ease be surreptitiously removed. Some have keys which become lost or will not work; some are clumsy; and some have projections which scratch tables. All are hard to hold in the hands. On an average a new binder is put on the market each year with the assurance of the maker that all faults have been eliminated. A trial soon convinces the librarian that it is no better than others and that the perfect binder does not exist.
For the small library the problem is not an important one, since it is entirely feasible in such libraries to place current numbers without covers on reading room tables, or to cover them with tough paper. Mr. Dana advocates using most magazines without binders even in the reading room of a large library. Possibly this may be done advantageously in somelibraries, but it will depend upon the atmosphere of the city, the character of those who use the library and the ease with which assistants can keep all readers under observation. Librarians for the most part will continue to believe that a temporary binder of one kind or another is necessary for current periodicals in the general reading room.
Binders in the reading room serve two purposes. They protect the magazine and they help to remind readers that the magazines are public property. Some magazines—the Scientific American, for example—are very thin and may be easily folded and put into an inside pocket. A binder does not prevent theft, but its tendency is to reduce it.
The qualifications of a good binder are:
1. Ease of fastening, together with difficulty in removing magazines by the uninitiated.
2. Comparative ease of holding in the hand.
3. Durability of surface and of device used for fastening the magazine.
4. Preservation of the magazine without injury.
5. Firmness when finally fastened.
Even the best magazine binders are far from being perfect in any of these requirements, except in ease with which they are fastened.
There are many kinds of magazine binders. Mr. Dana, in the second edition of his "Notes on bookbinding for libraries," mentions by name twelve different makes; and as many more, some of which are equally good, are known to the writer. But were there twice as many it is probable that they would fall,as they do now, into five classes.
1. Spring back.
2. Eyelet and tape.
3. Sewed.
4. Rod.
5. Clamp which is screwed up tight.
The well known spring-back variety is, in principle, a semi-circular steel tube longer than the magazine to be held, to which board sides are attached. When the cover is closed the jaws of the steel are close together. In order to insert the magazine the covers are bent back toward each other. This opens wide the jaws and the magazine is slipped in. When the covers are released the steel tube is firmly fastened to the back of the magazine. This kind of binder is probably the easiest of all to adjust. It is, however, equally easy to remove, is clumsy and is harder to hold in the hand than others.
In the eyelet and tape class there are holes in the back of the cover. In fastening the magazine, tape or cord (generally a shoe string) is passed through the center of the magazine, laced into the eyelet and tied. The main objections to this kind of a binder are that it takes some time to fasten them and the magazine is generally loose in the binder when fastened.
Binders which require sewing have holes in the sides near the back. Instead, however, of passing the cord through the center of the magazine, holes corresponding to holes in the binder are punched directly through the magazine at the back, one near the head,one near the tail and another in the middle. The binder is then sewed on through these holes. The chief merit of these binders is that they are inexpensive; but it takes longer to attach them than other binders and the magazine is injured by the holes which have been punched.
There are various kinds of binders which use steel rods or bars through the center of the magazine. Some use one rather heavy rod which is hinged at one end, and hooked or fastened into a slot at the other end when the magazine has been inserted. Some have two or more thin steel rods hinged or pivoted at one end and held by a pin or a lock at the other end. And one at least has steel bars not permanently attached, the ends of which are in the form of a semi-circle, which are dropped between rigid uprights and prevented from slipping off by caps screwed on the uprights.
The writer knows of only two binders which use a clamp which must be screwed tightly in order to hold the magazine firmly. The great merit of these binders is that they hold the magazine firmly, so that it can by no possibility be removed except by the assistant who has the key. They are, however, clumsy and unduly large at the back and it takes some time to fasten them to the magazine.
Taking into consideration all points of excellence it is probable that some form of rod binder is the best. Rod binders are not hard to apply; they require some effort to remove them—those which lock cannot be removed without a key; they are firm when applied;and many of them do not injure the magazine. Nearly every librarian has his own personal preference among such binders.
Since binders receive very hard wear it is important that they should be made of good material. Those which are used for popular magazines should have cowhide backs and buckram or imitation leather (keratol or fabrikoid) sides. A full leather binding would help solve the question of dirt, but it is equally well and less expensively solved by using imitation leather on the side. In reading rooms frequented only by educated persons binders with flexible leather covers are desirable and are greatly enjoyed by readers. The cheaper grades of cloth, such as are used by the publishers, should never be used, as they soon wear through at the edges and corners. In many cases it is wise to use pigskin or morocco on the back, though if this is done, the cloth sides and the boards themselves may become disreputable before the back is worn. In nearly all binders the mechanism can be removed from the boards when they become shabby, and new covers attached. This will save some of the expense of a new binder. A clever mender can do such work so that it need not be sent to a regular library binder. The boards should not be made of mill boards, but of semi-tar or tar boards.
Fortunately it is not necessary to decide here the ever-vexing question "When is a pamphlet not a pamphlet?" From the binding viewpoint any printed matter of more than four pages which does not have a stiff cover is a pamphlet and it is within the province of the binding assistant to prepare it for the shelves.
Unbound material in libraries is of three kinds: periodicals; serial publications which are not periodicals such as annual reports, bulletins of societies or government bureaus, etc.; and separate pamphlets not numbered, of a monographic character. The binding of periodicals forms part of the regular routine and is discussed elsewhere in this book.
Annual reports and other publications of a serial character should be filed in pamphlet boxes on the regular shelves at the end of the bound set. When a sufficient number of reports have collected they may be bound in cloth by decades or half-decades, according to the thickness of the reports. In many libraries most of such publications need not be bound at all, but will answer every purpose if wrapped in paper and lettered by hand. Serials other than annual reports generally give some indication of which numbers should be bound together, if bound at all. If therebe no change of numbering or no completion of volume numbers to indicate a separation, they should be arbitrarily grouped in volumes of a convenient size, conforming if possible to one or more calendar years, and bound or wrapped in paper. If series are not to be kept together they should be treated as described in the following paragraphs.
Monographic works in unbound form range in size from those of a dozen pages to those of several hundred. Probably the best arrangement for a large part of this material is to assign a subject heading or a class number and keep in a vertical file alphabetically or by class number. With this the binding department has no concern, but there are always a number of pamphlets which have permanent value for the library and which should be treated in the same way as a book with stiff covers.
Undoubtedly the cheapest way to prepare pamphlets not over one-half inch thick for the shelves is to put them into Gaylord binders. These are made of board sides connected at the back by a strip of cloth and having on the inside gummed flaps which can be attached to the back of the pamphlet. There are thirty different sizes ranging from 5 by 7 inches to 12-1/2 by 17 inches. They are made in two qualities, the photo-mount costing from $3.15 to $13.60 per hundred and press board costing from $4.25 to $17.60 a hundred.[6]If the pamphlet has a cover as well as a title page, the cover should be taken off and pasted to the outside of the front cover of the binder. In additionto moistening and attaching the gummed flaps, it will be found necessary in many cases either to wire through the back of the pamphlet with some kind of a stapling machine, or to sew through as described on page 190 for attaching red rope manila to circulating magazines.
[6]Prices increased 10 per cent April 10, 1916.
[6]Prices increased 10 per cent April 10, 1916.
When the pamphlet is firmly attached in the binder it should be lettered in white ink along the back. If the pamphlet is very thin it will be necessary to letter author, title and call number along the back edge of the front cover, close to the back. If the original cover has not been pasted on the outside it will also be necessary to letter author and title across the front cover.
Pamphlets which are too big to go into the binders can be bound in regular book form if their use will warrant the expense. If the use will be slight they can be made very serviceable by using the red rope manila as described on page 190.
Very large libraries keep all pamphlets permanently. Those which are not sufficiently important to treat as books are generally kept in classified order in temporary cases. When a sufficient number have been collected on any subject they may be bound together in volumes of proper size. So far as possible pamphlets of the same size should be bound together in cloth, but they may vary a little if they are level on top. The expense of binding in this way is, of course, much less than if each pamphlet had been put in a binder. Smaller libraries may perhaps be well advisedto bind in this way pamphlets having a local interest which must be kept permanently.
It is not necessary to discuss here the various kinds of temporary homes of pamphlets, such as manila folders, envelopes, wooden or pasteboard boxes, Ballard klips, etc. They all have their uses, and each librarian must work out whatever scheme seems best to him.
How large an amount of binding must a library have before it becomes economical to establish a bindery in the library building? This question is frequently asked and is difficult to answer. In the first place, local conditions must be taken into consideration. Is there in the same city a library bindery which does satisfactory work at reasonable prices, or must work be sent a long distance away? Is there ample room in the building and is it easily adapted to binding purposes? Can a good foreman be employed? Is the local rate of wages so high as to make the cost of the binding in the library equal the cost in a good bindery outside the city? These are some of the questions which must be considered.
Some of the advantages in having a bindery in the building are as follows:
1. It is more convenient. When books are much needed they can be found and generally used, even if incompletely bound.
2. There is less chance of losing books. When books are sent to a binder who does the work of other libraries also there is always a chance of loss. The binder, of course, is responsible, but one would always rather have the book than the cash value.
3. There is no chance of damage to books intransit.
4. Repairs which are too difficult for the ordinary library mender to make can easily be done in the library bindery at slight cost.
5. The books need not as a rule spend so long a time in the bindery. If perchance the bindery becomes clogged with extra work the librarian can rush the books that are needed most. If such books are in another bindery, especially when that bindery is outside the city, it is difficult to get the books that are needed first.
6. There is a certain amount of competition which works to advantage if part of the books have to be bound outside. The outside binder knows that the librarian who operates a bindery in his own building knows something about the cost of binding, and he realizes that unless his prices are reasonable and his work good he need not expect to be favored.
7. The librarian can at all times inspect materials on hand and see the books in the process of binding. The bindery outside the building can sometimes substitute inferior materials without fear of detection for many months.
8. When the work reaches a certain amount it can be done at reduced cost in the library, since the ordinary profits of the bindery will accrue to the library.
9. It is much easier to make experiments with new materials or new processes. While the outside binder does not care to get a small quantity of a newmaterial, the library which owns its own bindery can do so easily.
10. A bindery in the library can do much work, such as the mounting of maps or photographs, gilding of call numbers and book-mending, which needs skilled workmen. Such work frequently remains undone, either because the regular library force has no time to do it or because it seems unwise to send it outside the library.
Such are some of the benefits, but only the larger libraries which bind many thousands of volumes can take advantage of them successfully from the financial standpoint. In order to be administered economically there must be sufficient work to keep several workmen busy. It probably is not wise to open a bindery when the annual expenditure for binding is less than $4,000.
There are two ways in which a library bindery may be administered. Under the first plan the library buys all material and hires all the workmen, employing a foreman on salary to take charge. A schedule of prices which is lower than the prices paid to outside binders should be adopted, and the total value of binding in a year based on this schedule must equal the cost of material, wages and depreciation on the value of the plant. Under this plan the work may be unexcelled in quality, but there is no incentive to produce it in quantity. So long as the work turned out balances the outlay the employees, unless they are exceptionally conscientious, are satisfied. There is also the added difficulty of finding a competent foreman.Any man who is able to manage a library bindery successfully is able to manage any bindery successfully and he will not be willing to work for the salary which the library can afford to pay. The librarian himself, harassed as he is with many problems, must of necessity leave such matters as the purchase of material and the hiring of workmen to the foreman in whom he must have implicit confidence. The librarian cannot assume the same attitude toward his bindery foreman that the proprietor of a regular bindery may assume. He is not skilled in the craft, does not know about materials, especially leathers, and cannot direct the work.
Under the second plan the library lets the work out by contract to some binder who agrees to do the work in the building. The contractor is under no expense for rent, heat and light, and in arranging prices this is taken into consideration. It is obvious that it is to the interest of the binder to turn out as large a number of books as possible. Since the librarian has safeguarded the library in the contract by specifying that all materials and work must meet with his approval, this plan is more advantageous to him than the former plan. The contract should allow for frequent revision of schedule.
Under the first plan the librarian will be obliged to buy all machinery, tools and materials, and to hire the workmen. Under the second plan he may have to buy the machinery and tools, but the purchase of materials and the hiring of labor will be in the handsof the contractor.
A good binding plant will contain the articles in the following list. Those marked * are necessary, even when the amount of work turned out is small:
*1sewing frame*1standing press*4dozen press-boards (all sizes)*1glue pot*3hammers*1board shears*1lever paper cutter1perforating machine2extra cutting knives*1hammering-block with plate1grindstone*1paring stone*1oil stone*2pairs of shears*2paring knives*8bone folders*4brushes*1monkey wrench1sandstone*2saws*1book-backing machine*2dozen sewing needles1ruler*1screw driver1lying press*1finishing press1steel square*1pair pliers2straight-edges*3awls*1iron divider*1oil can*1paste bucket*1complete set of brass type*1pallet*1gold cushion*1gold knife*6gilding rolls*1imprint stamp*1single fillet1two-line fillet*1finishing gas stove*1ten-drawer type cabinet1flat agate polisher1flat steel polisher1round agate polisher1gas stove for heating glue*1forwarder's bench*1sewing table*1finisher's bench1small table1band nippers1creaser
The total cost of the plant will vary in various sections of the country, but it ought not to cost more than $800. If second-hand cutting machines, benches, etc., can be obtained it is possible that the cost may be reduced to $650 or less. The St. Louis Public Library recently equipped a bindery at a cost of $587. During the first year, with a force of fifteen, it turned out work to the value of $9,609.
The fabric shall be made from first-quality staple cotton, uniformly woven and of a grade known as "firsts." The weave shall be two up and two down in the warp and one up and one down in the weft.
The gray cloth shall consist of from 33 to 36 threads per centimeter (85 to 90 per inch) in the warp, and 12 to 15 threads per centimeter (30 to 38 per inch) in the weft.
The surface shall be finished smooth and hard and show no tendency to stick when folded upon itself.
The thickness of the finished fabric shall not exceed 0.30 millimeter (0.012 inch) or be less than 0.20 millimeter (0.008 inch). The tensile strength of the gray cloth shall be not less than 18 kilograms per centimeter (100 pounds per inch) of width in the warp, and 9 kilograms per centimeter (50 pounds per inch) in the weft. The average value for the warp and weft in the finished fabric must show an increase over the average value for the warp and weft in the gray cloth of at least 10 per cent of the strength of the gray cloth.
The finished fabric, when dry, shall weigh not more than 250 grams per square meter (0.5 pound per yard), or less than 200 grams per square meter (0.4 pound per yard).
At a normal relative humidity of 65 per cent it shall not absorb more than 5 per cent of moisture, or expand (an average of both directions) to exceed 0.45 per cent, and when subjected in a closed case to a saturated atmosphere for two hours at a temperature of 20° C. (68° F.) shall not absorb more than 10 per cent of moisture or expand (an average of both directions) to exceed 2 per cent. All increases to be computed on the basis of the dry weight and dimensions.
The folding endurance, as determined by the Schopper folder, shall be not less than 65,000 double folds for the warp and not less than 10,000 for the weft.
Before coating, the fabric must be dyed with a purely mineral or inorganic color (such as iron salts), so as to imitate the color of the finished cloth, but somewhat lighter in shade, so as to give the desired "linen" effect. All coal-tar, aniline, vegetable, or other organic dyes and lakes must be strictly excluded from both fabric and coating, even in traces; except where necessary to match color, lake may be used in red, blue, or brown. The following substances must be also excluded: Chrome yellow and other chromates, ultramarine, browns containing bituminous or other organic matter, compounds of lead and arsenic.
The color of the finished fabric should be slightly darker than the standard sample, which will be furnished on application, and it must not show the slightest change of color after exposure under prescribed conditions to direct sunlight, or to the action of ammonia gas, sulphuretted-hydrogen gas, sulphur-dioxide gas, or illuminating gas.
The finished fabric shall be immune to the growth of mold or the attack of insects.
Physical and chemical tests to verify the properties required by these specifications will be made according to the "Standard method for testing book cloths" as used by the Bureau of Standards, copies of which can be obtained on application.
Adam, Paul. Practical bookbinding. 1903. Van Nostrand. $1.25.A translation of a German work.
American library association. Committee on bookbinding. Binding for libraries. 1915. A. L. A. Publishing Board. $.15. (Library handbook No. 5. Second edition, revised.)Binding specifications which may be used by large as well as small libraries.
Bailey, A. L. Bookbinding. 1911. A. L. A. Publishing Board. $.10.Preprint of Manual of library economy, Chapter 26.
Bindery talk. 1912-13. v. 1-2. All published.A periodical published by W. E. Reavis, Los Angeles, California, covering various phases of library binding.
Bliss, H. E. Better bookbinding for libraries. Library Journal, 1905, 30:849-57.Brief article on methods and materials.
Brown, J. D. Bookbinding and repairing. In his Manual of library economy, pp. 328-48.Valuable chiefly for its section on lettering.
Brown, M. W. Mending and repair of books. A. L. A. Publishing Board. $.15. (Library handbook No. 6.)
Caldwell, M. R. Preparing for the binder. Public Libraries, 1906, 11:302-3.
Chivers, Cedric. Paper and binding of lending library books. American Library Association. Bulletin. 1909, 3:231-59.Also published separately by Mr. Chivers. A record of experiments and tests of modern book papers.
Chivers, Cedric. Relative value of leathers and other binding materials. 1911. Published by the author.A record of tests of leathers. Practically the same article will be found in the Bulletin of the American Library Association for 1911, p. 164.
Cockerell, Douglas. Bookbinding and the care of books. 1902. Appleton. $1.25.Best general book on binding processes, but does not cover all library requirements.
Coutts, H. T., and Stephen, G. A. Manual of library bookbinding. 1911. Libraco Limited. 7s. 6d. net.A valuable book for all libraries. Gives the English point of view.
Crane, W. J. E. Bookbinding for amateurs. 1903. Scribner. $.65.
Cundall, Joseph, ed. On bookbindings, ancient and modern. 1881. Bell, Lond. $12.Will be used mainly by those interested in the history and artistic side of bookbinding.
Dana, J. C. Notes on bookbinding for libraries. Ed. 2. 1910. Library Bureau. $1.The best single book for the librarian.
Drury, F. K. W. On protecting pamphlets. Library Journal, 1910, 35: 118-19.
Field, C. Book repairing. California News Notes, 2: 105-8.
Hasluck, P. N., ed. Bookbinding. 1903. McKay. $.50.Practical handbook. Does not cover strong binding for libraries.
Horne, H. P. Binding of books. 1894. Scribner. $2.For those interested in the artistic side of binding.
Hulme, E. W., and others. Leather for libraries. 1905. Library Supply Co., London. 2s. 6d. net.
Lowe, J. A. Permanent book marking. Library Journal, 1910, 35: 15-17.
Macleod, R. D. Preservation of books in libraries. Library World, 11: 256, 331, 368, 417.Deals with general repairs, etc. The second part (p. 331) is especially valuable for the large number of cleaning recipes.
Lowe, J. A. Permanent book marking. Library Journal.
Memoranda relative to binding publications for distribution to state and territorial libraries and depositories. 1908. U. S. Superintendent of Documents.An account of the tests of book cloths made by the Bureau of Standards.
Philip, A. J. The business of bookbinding from the viewpoint of the binder, the publisher, the librarian and the general reader. 1912. S. Paul. 6s. net.In spite of the title the viewpoint is that of the librarian.
Prideaux, S. T. Historical sketch of bookbindings. 1893. Lawrence, London. $1.50 net.
Sawyer, H. P. How to care for books in a library. 1912. Democrat Printing Co., Madison, Wis. $.10.A good article on mending.
Society of arts. Report of the Committee on leathers for bookbinding. 1905. Bell. 10s. 6d.
Stephen, G. A. Commercial bookbinding. 1910. Stonhill, London. 2s. 6d.The best book on this subject.
—. Machine book-sewing. 1908. Aberdeen University Press.Reprinted from the Library association record, June 1908.
—. Notes on materials for library bookbinding. Library Assistant, 1905-7, 5:143-6, 162-4.
Swezey, A. D. Binding records. Public Libraries, 1909, 14: 5-7.
Worcester (Mass.) County law library. Leather preservation. 1911.
—. A small binding plant in the building. 1912.
Zaehnsdorf, Joseph. Bookbinding. Macmillan. $1.50.
Zahn, Otto. On art binding. 1904. Toof & Co., Memphis. $1.50.By a well known artistic bookbinder.