A Visit to the Conservation Lab at NALIS, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

Danielle and I in front of the library’s main entrance.

In January, I had the good fortune of visiting Danielle Fraser, Library Conservator at the National Library and Information System Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (NALIS).  Danielle and I first met as classmates at the Kilgarlin Center for Preservation of the Cultural Record at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Information.  After we graduated, Danielle returned to her native Trinidad and Tobago for a position at NALIS, where she set up the first conservation lab in the English-speaking Caribbean.  And what a wonderful lab it is!

The NALIS Conservation Lab staff. (From left to right:) Danielle (Library Conservator), Afesha (Assistant Library Conservator), Felicia (Library Attendant/Administrator), Joelle (Library Technical Assistant), Alicia (Conservation Technician), and Kareem (Library Technical Assistant).

The lab’s equipment, tools, and supplies, have been carefully selected and built up over time.  Likewise, Danielle’s staff has grown (and during our visit, the in-house Bindery was officially moved under her supervision as well).  The lab staff have all been trained by Danielle, and clearly share an enthusiasm for their work.

Afesha shows us the fume hood and Nilfisk HEPA vacuum set-up.

Afesha, the Assistant Library Conservator, started our official tour at one end of the lab, in a small alcove containing storage cabinets, the fume hood (set up with a Nilfisk HEPA vacuum for mold removal), and one of the lab’s two Wei T’o Freeze Dryer and Insect Exterminator units.  I’ll admit, I was a little envious.  However, having ample freezer space is critically important in the humid Caribbean climate.  Danielle explained that they use the units as much for insect extermination as for drying wet books.

Afesha shows us materials isolated and awaiting treatment in the chest freezer.  Felicia looks on in the background.

In addition to the two Wei T’o units, the lab boasts the largest chest freezer I have ever seen.  Did I mention the climate makes freezer space a necessity rather than a luxury?  A significant portion of Trinidad and Tobago is covered in rainforest, just to give you some idea of how humid it is there.

View of the rainforest from the Asa Wright Nature Center, Arima, Trinidad.

Washing sink temporarily converted to bench space. There is a water filtration unit tucked under the sink.

The lab’s washing sink has been fitted with a cover, allowing it to be converted to usable bench space.  (This clever use of space reminded me of the conservation lab equipped by Conservator Sarah Norris at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.)

Periwinkle-blue boardshear.

Electric guillotine.

In addition to the “usual suspects,” like a boardshear and electric guillotine, the NALIS lab also has a piece of equipment that was new to me, the Archipress.  This vacuum sealing unit draws the air out of a polyethylene enclosure before sealing the edges.  The unit has been programmed with pre-sets depending on the dimensions of the materials to be vacuum sealed.  According to Danielle, vacuum-sealing items before they are frozen helps to prevent warping.  It is also a method of isolating materials for insect extermination or stabilizing materials for transport.  The unit was purchased from a company in Europe, so a separate power supply had to be wired to accommodate its electrical requirements.

Afesha demonstrates the Archipress vacuum sealing unit.

Kareem, the Library Technical Assistant, describes the uses of the various hand tools used in conservation treatment work. Alicia, the Conservation Technician, looks on.

Books awaiting treatment on the sorting shelves are sorted according to whether they need a major, medium, or minor treatment.

Alicia demonstrates how to use the Book Keeper deacidification spray unit.

Alicia, the Conservation Technician, demonstrated how to use the portable Book Keeper deacidification spray unit, and gave my husband a chance to try his hand at it.  He gently chided me that Danielle’s staff gave him a far better tour of their lab than I have ever given him of the ISU Library lab — a legitimate complaint.  I was similarly impressed by the comprehensive tour by a committed staff.  Many thanks to everyone at the NALIS Conservation Lab for a delightful morning in their company!

 

Working In Preservation with Pain

In 1996, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) after suffering extreme fatigue, pain, and tenderness in my limbs for about 18 months.  FMS is chronic, widespread pain in the connective tissues that happens in certain areas of the body, mine more so in the legs.  In October 1997, I moved to a position in the Preservation Department “to get up on my feet more” instead of the computer desk job I previously had.  Recently I was also diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis (PF), which is pain in the feet.  So now I have a lot of pain in my lower extremities.  My preservation job has me sitting for extended periods of time either at my office desk or at my bench in the lab, but I try to keep flexible by getting up every so often to stretch my legs and relieve the stiffness.  Staying physically active at work and home has helped.

Over the years, I have found ways to continue with my job while in pain.  I do a lot of batch work in book repair so when I have several items waiting to dry, press, or soak, I may move into the office and input books, make title labels or check items out of the inventory so I can ice my feet on a frozen water bottle while sitting.  Then it’s back to the lab to work on more books, anywhere from 10 to 20 at the same time.  I don’t stand much at my bench and have a nice comfortable chair with arms on it to rest upon.  I don’t rest my feet on the rail below my chair, but instead have a box to set my feet flat upon.  A stool would work equally well.  I try to walk around the lab and library when working as much as possible and even go walking on campus during my breaks and lunch time.  This relieves some stiffness and I get some exercise and feel refreshed.  On good days, I will take the stairs over the elevator to limber up.

Some days my coordination isn’t good, and my fingers don’t work as well, so there are some book treatments I will not attempt to do until I have a better day.  This can include tip-ins, gluing down end sheets in full repairs and recases, and turning in the ends of rebacks.  I must feel confident that my fingers will work well enough to do the job, or the books can wait a day or two to be completed.  In January this year, I fell and broke my left hand, which brought on new challenges with my job repairing books.  I did a lot of prep work of the books, such as taking them apart and cleaning them, so when my hand healed I had books ready to complete.

I am currently with a new doctor and trying a new medicine for FMS as well as wearing night splints for PF.  So far, I am seeing positive results already and reduced pain.  Every person is different with FMS, so treatment is not the same from person to person. I am thankful my job allows for flexibility on my good and bad days with FMS and am appreciative of my supportive fellow co-workers who understand my painful days.

 

It’s National Preservation Week 2012!

Yesterday was the first day of our week-long celebration of National Preservation Week 2012 at Iowa State University Library. If you missed yesterday’s events, be sure to check out our full Preservation Week schedule for more great events this week.

To promote awareness and good stewardship of artifacts representing cultural, historical, and family heritage, the Preservation Department is offering free preservation consultations to the public at a Preservation Clinic in the lobby of Parks Library.

At yesterday’s Preservation Clinic, we examined approximately 30 items, including books, photographs, gowns, framed portraits, cabinet cards, and more.  Hilary Seo, Melissa Tedone, Mindy Moeller, Mindy McCoy, volunteer Martha Lincoln, and undergraduate intern Alex Menard were all on hand from the ISU Library Preservation department.  We were further assisted by Sarah Raithel, a paper conservator in private practice in Pella, IA, and Pete Sixbey, the objects conservator at the State Historical Society of Iowa.  We spent an enjoyable afternoon examining and discussing some fascinating cultural and historical items, and meeting the people who are concerned with preserving these mementos.

Over half a dozen people attended the free webinar “Taking Care of Family Textiles” at Parks Library.  Our next free Preservation Week webinar, “Preserving Your Personal Digital Photographs,” will be this Thursday, April 26, from 1-2 pm in Rm. 192, Parks Library.

For more photos of Preservation Week events at ISU Library, visit our Flickr album, which we will be updating throughout the week.

How are you observing Preservation Week?

 

Preservation: Student Perspectives IV

Today’s post is part of our continuing series of blog posts from the students in Honors Seminar 321V, Smelling Old Books: The Art & Science of Preserving Our Past.  The students were asked to consider ways in which learning about heritage preservation has changed their attitude about any aspect of their relationship to the objects around them in their daily lives and habits.

Sydney McKechnie

One thing that I’ve learned in this class is that clothing needs to be refolded about every six months. In my family we have a white, Chinese silk dress that all the girls in my family have worn for their First Eucharist. It’s kept in a box in a closet. It probably hasn’t been touched in 9 years. So, I’ve learned that we need to take it out once in a while, air it out, and refold it, so that it will still be in its original form by the time our various children can wear it. If we don’t refold it, the creasing can damage the fabric and leave permanent creases.

Kaylee Becker

I love sticky notes! In fact, I cover everything with them. I never thought sticky notes could be potentially damaging. That is until in class one day when Melissa mentioned an experience with her old college textbooks. She had put sticky notes in her textbooks years ago and had never removed them from the pages. Once she tried to take them out, the sticky notes left a residue mark on the pages. It makes sense because the sticky part of the note has glue in it. Now I am going to be more careful about where I put sticky notes and when I use them. I suppose I’ll have to start using sticky notes in moderation!

Amanda Bernemann

Before taking this class, I did not realize how eating in the library could affect the collections. I just assumed that as long as I was careful and didn’t spill anything directly on the books, it would be just fine. After we talked about pest control though, I saw things a little bit differently. Even if the food itself does not directly affect the collection, what it attracts does. Now I realize that spilling or leaving crumbs anywhere in the library can attract pests. These bugs can eat away at the paper or the bindings of the books. They can get smashed between the pages or leave other traces. They can even attract bigger pests who come to feed on them. While before this class, I probably wouldn’t have gone as far as to have pizza delivered to the library, I did still consume food and coffee in the library and not give a thought to it. Now I know that limiting where food and beverage is consumed has a purpose other than to just annoy me. Now that I know the damage I could have potentially caused, I will know how to prevent it in the future.

 

Things We Are Thankful For: The Salt Of The Earth

Photo Credit: http://diettogo.com/blog/salt-sodium-and-our-health

The same mineral that seasons and preserves our food serves an equally important preservation function for inedibles: film, documents, and other artifacts.  For example, at the Hutchinson Facility of Underground Vaults and Storage, hollowed-out salt mines provide humidity-stable, fire-resistant storage for valuable archives.  You can take a virtual tour of the facility and learn about the special preservation properties of salt storage in this Discovery Channel video:

How Stuff Works: Episode 9 – Salt Storage

If you’re in the area, you could visit the salt caverns in person at the Kansas Underground Salt Museum in Hutchinson, KS.

Here at the ISU Library Preservation Department, we’re grateful for the readers and comments that make this blog a rewarding endeavor for us.  We’ll be back with a new post next Monday, and until then, we wish you a very happy (and well-seasoned) Thanksgiving.