The Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group: Taking a comprehensive look at book repair

Quality library services should not be limited in scope to current research trends but must anticipate future needs. Nineteenth and twentieth century publishers' cloth bindings are scattered arbitrarily throughout research library circulating collections and are significant both as artistic works and as integral components of the book they were originally designed to protect. Yet, library repair and rebinding practices have already destroyed approximately half of these historic bindings. Research libraries would be astute to reappraise the historical and research value of their general collections, as original publishers' bindings: 1) already belong to the library; 2) require little more than appropriate stewardship to preserve; and, 3) may prove to be extremely rare—there is no library of last resort for this material.