Handling Special Materials - Learn
Introduction | Learn
Prepare to handle materials (5 minutes)
Do you know what you should and shouldn’t do in the reading room? Explore 10 Tips for Reading Room Success Links to an external site. to prepare for your visit.
Explore ALL ABOUT: Handling Special Materials to get a brief overview of what makes materials fragile and how you can prevent damages.
Handling methods (16 minutes)
Handling methods differ depending on the nature and condition of the material. Watch the videos below to learn how to handle a variety of fragile materials.
Working with tied bound books
Bound books with damaged bindings are often tied with cotton twill tape to prevent parts of the book from separating. Review the following tips, and explore them in action in the following videos.
- The bow should be tied at the spine, top edge, or fore edge of the book. Do not tie the bow on the flat cover, as it will put pressure on, and possibly damage, adjacent books.
- Keep the ties flat against the cover of the book. The ties should not have any extra folds or twists.
- A small or average sized book may only need the tape wrapped around it once. Larger and irregular sized books may need two or more wrappings.
- If the book is big and heavy, find someone to help you tie and untie it. You may be lifting and turning the book multiple times, risking your hands and back, and improperly handling the book.
Introduction | Learn