Book Repair Rematches!
Hello, Readers!
The Continuing Arts Education program had another docents meeting on Monday, so I joined them again. This time, there was an interview instead of a presentation. Jim Ballinger, the retired director of the Phoenix Art Museum, came and talked about the process of expanding the museum’s collections back in the early days when PAM was just starting out. It was amazing to hear about how much thought and resources goes behind every item that it brought to the museum.
Then, I decided to do some book repairs since I had not done them in a while. I did some hinge repairs, and then I decided to have a rematch with making the dust covers. There was a copy of the book I made a cover for last time, so I did the same method: cutting out a middle section and then sealing the bottom and the two ends. Last time, the ends were too thick for my liking, so I tried folding it down and using tape to hold it. Unfortunately, it did not make much of a difference.
My mentor did a repair for a book with half of the cover missing. She went and printed out a picture of the undamaged cover on a piece of thick paper, and she aligned it with the original cover and glued it after trimming it so it does not put more stress on the spine of the book. Then, I made a dust cover for the book so the front did not get more damaged. Instead of folding the ends down like I did previously, I tried cutting out the paper layer and only folding the plastic part. That made it feel less thick, and I think that dust cover was the best one I have made so far.
I made one last dust cover for a book with a very deteriorated glassine cover. My mentor told me that glassine used to be considered archival quality, but then further research revealed that glassine only lasts three years. So, I replaced the glassine with my own dust cover so the book is better protected.
I also made a box for a large leather book using the same method as last time. It was pretty easy since I knew everything we were doing, and once the glue dries, we can wrap the book in tissue paper and place it in the new box.
Finally, I did a few more catalog entries. The most interesting item I worked with this week was a metal plaque for a flagpole that was presented to the museum by Blakely Oil Inc. and dedicated by Governor Paul Fannin. Two of the four screws meant to mount the plaque were still on it, and it was pretty rusty. But, it was cool to find such an unusual item inside of the archives.
Next week, I will be wrapping up my Senior Project! I had a lot of fun, and I cannot believe it is almost over. I hope to get a little more work on book repairs and the catalog done before I leave.
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