Preparing to repair

The staff at LHSA are all specialists in their own fields, but best practice changes over time so we have to make sure we keep up-to-date. Sometimes that means going to a conference or course (our Archivist went to Perth last week to find out about new developments in copyright legislation), while other times we share skills amongst colleagues without having to leave the comfort of the Centre for Research Collections!

Caroline Scharfenberg, an accredited and very experienced book conservator, who is based in the Centre for Research Collections conservation studio two days a week, recently provided a couple of half-day training sessions to teach basic repair to bound volumes. These are the kind of repairs that can be carried out without taking a book apart, so are quick and easy but help stabilise the condition of the item so it can continue to be read without causing further damage.

These are really useful skills to have within LHSA, so that items that are in high demand can be treated promptly, and in-house, whilst making sure they are available for use in the future.

From left to right: Caroline shows Ruth (LHSA Manager) and Emily (LHSA Project Conservator) how to repair damaged corners