Preservation and Collections

Book cradles are important tools when viewing or displaying books. It supports a book, holding it open at a certain angle thereby reducing stress on the spine by not forcing the book to lay flat, creating a stable structure to view the book (especially if it is fragile and the covers are detaching), and minimizing potential damage by reducing the handling of the book. There are many types of book cradles ranging from ones make of acrylic to polyethylene (aka archival-quality foam) to board and cushions. Some cradles are adjustable while others are not. The type of cradle you choose is dependent on what you plan to use the cradle for (i.e. exhibitions, displays, general viewing or handling) and the cost.

When our Cataloging Librarian, Kelly Evans, approached me asking if we had any extra book cradles that she could use at her desk while cataloging, I realized we did not. After looking online to purchase one (and seeing that many of the options are pretty expensive), I took it upon myself to craft an adjustable one with materials we had in the preservation lab. There are multiple ways to create more budget friendly book cradles, but I decided to utilize our book cradle clamshell template, making some tweaks to create this customizable book cradle. Each set of Velcro tabs allows the cradle to be opened wider or narrower depending on Kelly’s needs and still be very stable no matter the angle. Here is the result! 

Board game expansions? No box to fit them in? No problem! When the Media Library asked if there was a way to house the board game, Everdell, and its multiple expansions, I said I would be happy to create some sort of custom box. The result? A heavy duty clamshell with a pull out drawer. With some tweaks to the template that we use to build normal clamshells, I crafted one that would fit all the pieces of the original board game and the expansions, separating both the larger pieces, and the smaller tokens. Normally, we cover our clamshells in book cloth, giving it a clean finish, but I decided to cover this clamshell in buckram (a stiffer fabric with greater durability and strength) so that it could survive the wear and tear of everyday use. 

When our Public Services Librarian, Megan May, came to me inquiring whether we could create custom enclosures that serve not only as storage for rare books and artist books but that function as a display for those items, I eagerly took on the challenge . Normally, we build clamshells for our most at risk and rare books, so the difficulty was to add something to allow for the display element. After much research and brainstorming, I decided to create a built-in book cradle that would live inside of a clamshell thereby housing it securely while also allowing it to be opened up for display in a safe manner. However, I could not find instructions on how to build such a structure. Thus, began prototype building (Image 1). Utilizing board scraps and some tape, I worked on creating a structure that would mimic a book cradle’s shape but also make it collapsible.  

The main trick was determining a way to decide the angle of the book cradle so the book spine would be protected by not allowing the book to open all the way. The solution was to create a mock cradle, propping the book between weights to determine the height of the side piece. The result can be seen in the below images. The process of creating this structure was very enjoyable and will be a staple for future clamshells that we build! 

This particular book is an artist book from Special Collections’ annual Artist Book Competition entitled “Case #xxxx”. (View the catalog record for this book)

This clamshell is different from our normal clamshells due to the sliding drawer in the bottom of the base. When we received this book, I noticed that it was difficult to remove the book from its wrapper and that the wrapper was fragile. I became concerned about the future damage that could occur to the book and sleeve if they continued to be housed together and handled. I decided to craft this clamshell in this manner so users can view both the wrapper and the book together without additional wear, while also allowing users to pick up the book and flip through it the way it was intended!

This book from 1840 entitled “The enchanted scrap book: exhibiting pictures, which appear and vanish at the word of command” is a conjurer’s blow-book, with 7 different hand-colored full-page engravings, each repeated 12 times. Each picture can be made to appear or vanish by flipping the pages in various ways. (View the catalog record for this book)