Preservation
Preservation Protocol
Books fall apart with time, even faster if they are not well taken care of. To combat this, our books will be bought as hardcovers if available. Multiple copies of a book will purchased to avoid strain on a single book from circulation. Books will be covered in a non-adhesive book covering plastic to protect from stains, spills, and bending. Some repairs may be done on books that are slightly damaged, but books will be replaced if the damage is too severe.
Once a year, this collection will be taken off the shelf and weeded. A librarian will check how many times a particular title has been checked out in the past year and make a determination as to whether it should be kept in the collection or if we should lower our number of copies to make room for newer materials. At this time, the librarian will also flip through each item and check for spine and water damage, stains, missing pages, and anything else that is visibly wrong with the book so that it can be repaired, replaced, or simply removed from the collection.
Preservation Education
Teaching a person how to properly care for a book increases its chances of preservation. With every item we check out, we will include an insert with the book that lists some helpful tips to keep the book safe and in good condition. The backside will contain a section the patron can write on to notify the library of any damages they encountered while reading the book. We will point this insert out to the patron upon their checkout and suggest that it can be used as a bookmark. By using it as a bookmark, the patron will hopefully see these tips and reminders often and use proper practices while reading the book.
Some of the tips found on the insert will be:
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Do not bend the pages
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Clean hands and surface before use
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Do not “dog-ear” the book (we have provided a bookmark)
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Keep out of reach of pets and small children
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Ensure that the book is secure when carried in a backpack or bag
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Do not read in a bathtub (to prevent accidental drops and protect the pages from steam damage)