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Preservation and Conservation

Photo of old book
Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash
Source

This guide will assist you in finding resources on book preservation and conservation. Preservation refers to non-invasive methods of minimizing deterioration and preventing further damage (e.g., climate-controlled storage) whereas conservation refers to more active methods of preserving the current condition of a book, or even of restoring it to a prior condition.

Useful Websites

Information on the preservation and conservation of books, textual and visual material, and audiovisual recordings.

A full-text library of conservation information, covering a wide spectrum of topics of interest to those involved with the conservation of library, archives, and museum materials.

Links to many tutorials dealing with the book arts, including preservation and conservation.

Promotes the proper care and preservation of Canada's cultural heritage.

Digital Library Resources

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Provides publication information on millions of books, ebooks, videos and audiobooks.

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Everywhere for Vancouver residents
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CBCA is a Canadian-focused database that offers access to newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals and reference sources. *Also suitable for research at the elementary, high school and undergraduate levels.

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Everywhere for Vancouver residents
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Provides access to 47 databases across all major areas of study through: journals, newspapers, market reports, news wires and case studies, many of which are full text.

Access:
Everywhere for Vancouver residents

Recommended Titles

Cover Image for Book Repair: A How-to-do-it Manual
Lavender, Kenneth & BonaDea, Artemis
Call Number
025.8 L39b2
Publication Year
2011
Lavender's highly acclaimed guide has been completely revised and expanded to offer up-to-date help on both basic book repair techniques and sound conservation practices.
Cover Image for Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper
Baker, Nicholson
Call Number
025.2 B16d
Publication Year
2001
Nicholson Barker pleads the case for saving our recorded heritage in its original form while telling the story of how and why our greatest research libraries betrayed the public trust by auctioning off or pulping irreplaceable collections.
Cover Image for Ex Libris
Hopkinson, Martin J.
Call Number
769.52 H79e
Publication Year
2011
Originating in their modern printed form in 16th-century Germany, where books were highly valuable and treasured, bookplates became an art form practiced by artists across Europe and beyond.
Cover Image for Preserving Local Writers, Genealogy, Photographs, Newspapers, and Related Materials
Smallwood, Carol & Williams, Elaine
Call Number
025.8 P9334s
Publication Year
2012
Preserving Local Writers, Genealogy, Photographs, Newspapers, and Related Materials offers plenty to inspire anyone facing backlogs of unprocessed papers or boxes of artifacts. Stories of the rescue efforts of a group of volunteers, or the discovery of a lost diary, show that the hard work of preservation is well worth it.
Cover Image for Preserving Our Heritage
Cloonan, Michèle Valerie
Call Number
025.8 P9335c
Publication Year
2015
A collection of key introductory readings of historic preservation literature. Since the essays are presented in an historical timeline, the reader discovers the roots of many current debates.
Cover Image for The Art of American Book Covers, 1875-1930
Minsky, Richard
Call Number
741.640973 M666a
Publication Year
2010
At the turn of the nineteenth century, book covers were revered as works of art. Publishers commissioned distinguished artists such as Maxfield Parrish and Rockwell Kent to create exquisite covers appreciated by authors and readers alike.

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