Simple Book Repair Techniques

Many large or academic libraries have staff specifically trained to care for their collections, but public and other small libraries don’t have that luxury. So how can the small library extend the usable life of its collection with little staff time or money? This book will walk library staff through how to take care of their collections from the simplest repairs through to more complex ones to treat not only their hard-cover adult collections but their paperbacks and children’s books as well. While many treatments will follow the best practices of preservation and conservation professionals, activities will be simplified, and the range of viable repair materials will be expanded to show that repairs don’t always have to be completed to the highest standards but can always be completed to the best of the library’s abilities.

Donia Conn is an assistant professor of practice at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science and private conservator with over 20 years of experience. Ms. Conn has extensive training and assessment experience for a wide range of cultural heritage institutions. She has been adjunct faculty at Book Arts Center at Wells College in Aurora, NY and School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College in Boston, MA, as well as developing curricula and teaching for Heritage Preservation, the state of Connecticut, the State of Massachusetts, and for the American Library Association. Donia has also done preservation and workflow assessments for large academic institutions and small volunteer-run historical societies and everything in between.

Donia earned her BA in Mathematics from St. Olaf College and her MLIS with Advanced Certificate in Conservation from the University of Texas-Austin. Past employers include the Northeast Document Conservation Center, Northwestern University, Syracuse University, The Folger Shakespeare Library, and the University of Kentucky. Donia is also a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and member of AIC’s National Heritage Responders. As an independent consultant, Donia has worked for such institutions as the Saratoga County Historical Society, Lake Placid Olympic Museum, Skidmore College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the Greater Hudson Heritage Network, and numerous public libraries across the state of Massachusetts.