Page 85 - DLIS104_MANAGEMENT OF LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTRES

Management of Libraries and Information Centres

Notes for. Please ask at the Circulation Desk if you are having difficulty locating any item which should
be on the shelf.
If you think you’re at the right spot on the right floor but your item isn’t there, try these steps:
Double-check the catalog for the item’s call number, location, and status. If under “Collec-
tion” it does not say “Stacks”, the item could be in another collection, such as LSC, Over-
size, and New & Noteworthy, owned by Special Collections, or owned by a branch library.
If an item is not checked out, in the Due Date column it will say “On Shelf”. If you’re still
sure you’re where the book should be shelved and the item is not checked out, try these
spots next:
Check adjacent areas on the shelf in case someone has put the item back on the shelf, but in
the wrong spot. Play a bit with the call number in case it was inadvertently missed helved.
Ask at the Circulation Desk. Staff can check to see whether an item has been recently
returned, recently re-classed to Library of Congress, in the bindery, or elsewhere. They can
also help you place a search on the book, so that staff that is familiar with the shelves and
the dynamics of the changing locations can look for your book.
Check the Sorting Shelves. If you haven’t found your item where it should be shelved, it
may be on the sorting shelves just behind the Circulation Desk on the first floor of Perkins
(Level A). It may also be on one of the book trucks in this area that are in call number order
and awaiting a library worker to take it to the stacks for shelving.
Other Spots to Check: Items may also be left on a table next to one of the many photocopi-
ers around the library, or it may be sitting on one of the desks or tables around the Perkins
or Bo stock buildings. These items are picked up daily, but you might make it there first.
Finally, the item may have been shelved incorrectly.

13.2.1 Binding
Library binding is the term used to describe the method of binding serials, and re-binding paperback
or hardcover books, for use within libraries. Library binding increases the durability of books, as
well as making the materials easier to use. The stiffening process is a low-cost, in-house alternative
to library binding of paperbacks.
Library binding is done at a commercial library binding company. Sending books to the library
binder is a mass production process. The library will gather and set aside their volumes which
they want library bound, and then box and ship off these books to a library binding company.

Notes The binding company handles each volume one at a time, and then places all the
Notes items from the shipment back into boxes and sends them back to the library.

Commercial library binding factories were first established in America and England in the
early twentieth century. Since then, there have emerged several prominent library bind-
ing companies. Although they are commercial enterprises, library binders act as partners
to the library world. The operations they perform on books and serials help extend the life
of these materials, making them more accessible to library users. The goal should always
be to do as little damage to the volume as possible. A volume should not be sent to a
commercial library binder if the papers in the volume are brittle, if the volume appears to
have value as an artifact, if the item can be repaired or treated in-house, or if the item needs
preparatory conservation treatment.
Library binders and libraries must agree on the conditions of the services provided and the
prices rendered, and then must sign a contract confirming these. The library binder should
ensure against the loss of volumes and should correct any mistakes.
The Library Binding Institute is the main source of information and standards on library
binding. In conjunction with the National Information Standards Organization, the Li-
brary Binding Institute has published standards of library binding that should be used by
all binding companies. These include technical specifications and material specifications.
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