Open and free to the public! Click HERE for a campus map and HERE for information on parking.
The Preservation Lab – in the news!
The Preservation Lab and lab staff were in the news twice this week.
The News Record 3/27/2019
Check out a nice write up on the work of the Lab in the student newspaper, The News Record, HERE.
“Below the main floor of Langsam Library, where students bustle about studying, researching and caffeinating, there’s a lab where books with torn pages and cracked bindings fall into the capable hands of a team of technicians who spend their days quietly restoring texts back to working order.” —- Sami Steward
Edible book by Jessica Ebert
Also, Jessica Ebert was interviewed about her participation in the annual University of Cincinnati Libraries’ Edible Book Festival by the local news station. Check it out HERE.
Holly Prochaska (UCL) — Preservation Librarian
Happy 20th Anniversary, Holly!
Our Preservation Librarian and co-manager, Holly Prochaska, is celebrating her 20th year at UC Libraries today! Holly is such a great advocate for the Lab and the Lab staff. She cares so much about the Lab and we wanted to show her just how much we care about her, so we planned a little surprise…
See Holly’s reaction here:
Congratulations on this milestone, Holly!
Check out the Lab’s Instagram @thepreservationlab (especially our story highlights) to see more fun photos of the Rock (Dwayne Johnson) around the Lab.
Jessica Ebert [UCL] – Conservation Tech/Photographic Documentation Tech
Lab Featured in New Book & Save the Date!
Secret Cincinnati: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure by Kathryn Witt recently came out and you wouldn’t believe who’s featured in it…
The Preservation Lab!
When you flip to # 72 you will find a great description of the Lab’s annual Open House, where the Lab opens its doors to the public and shares a little bit about what with do. Generally our Open House falls on ALA’s Preservation Week (the last week of April). However, this year it will be held during this first week of May due to a scheduling conflict.
So mark your calendars!
Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 | 1:30-3:30pm
University of Cincinnati | Langsam Library | 300 Level
Jessica Ebert [UCL] – Conservation Technician & Photographic Documentation Tech
*Thank you to Mikaila Corday, a docent at the Lucky Cat Museum (also featured in Secret Cincinnati), for sharing the feature with us and lending us her copy of the book!
Meet Kasie Janssen, our newest Preservation Lab team member!
Meet Kasie Janssen, the newest addition to the Preservation Lab, located on UC’s Campus. Employed by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, she will be filling the position, Senior Conservation Assistant.
Welcome Kasie!
Chris Voynovich: What drew you to conservation?
Kasie Janssen: Actually, I was applying to go to library school at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. My initial interest was in archiving but there was not a graduate assistantship available in the archives, but there was in conservation. That was my first introduction to the field of conservation. The heavens opened because my background was English and studio art. It was the perfect melding of books, literature and tactile materials. After that, I went through two years of library school while working in the conservation lab at UIUCC.
Chris: You came from a Conservator of Special Projects position at the Newberry. What are you looking for in this Senior Conservation Assistant position in the Preservation Lab at the Public Library of Cincinnati?
Kasie: I am excited and looking forward to concentrating on the technical side of conservation where my responsibilities are focused on collection treatment.
Chris: Do you like Charles Dickens?
Kasie: Yes. How did you know that?! My favorite is David Copperfield. I’ve read it almost four times. I love and have read all his novels. My interest started in undergraduate school. It was a kind of a love-hate relationship. To me, they were initially kind of dense, but I loved the humor and that was what hooked me.
Chris: So you like the Green Bay Packers?
Kasie: Yes. I grew up watching football in Wisconsin. I am a lifelong Packers fan. My husband likes hockey, the Anaheim Ducks, so these are my two main sports to watch.
Chris: What do you know about Cincinnati or the Tri-State?
Kasie: Not a lot. I’ve heard about the food scene and I’ve heard of the East side vs. West side rivalry!
Chris: Do you have a favorite conservation project you have done?
Kasie: One of the most surprising items I was able to prepare for an exhibit was an Oscar, for Ben Hecht’s screenplay for the 1927 film Underworld, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Screen Play. It was cool to hold an Oscar, which is heavier than you would expect.
Chris: What kind of treatments do you like doing most?
Kasie: I like repairing a book from start to finish. It’s a satisfying feeling of accomplishment when I get a book that is completely falling apart and can do all the treatments necessary to repair.
Chris: Favorite book?
Kasie: Life of Pi, by Yann Martel.
Chris: Favorite musical artist?
Kasie: I like Folk, 80’s, Indie, depends on my mood.
Chris: Favorite movie?
Kasie: Shawshank Redemption.
Chris: If you could travel anywhere where would you go?
Kasie: I like traveling places that have a lot of nature. I guess New Zealand though it is pretty far away. The flight is intimidating, and I know it would take a long time to get there.
Chris: Do you have any hobbies?
Kasie: I like hiking and biking. It’s nice to see a hill again after coming from the flat-lands of Chicago. 😀
Chris: What is your favorite flavor birthday cake?
Kasie: Chocolate with chocolate icing.
Chris: Do you prefer coffee or tea?
Kasie: Coffee.
Chris: Do you play any musical instruments?
Kasie: No. I’ve played piano and flute but not in 5 years. I sing sometimes…(when no one hears me).
Chris: Do you have any pets?
Kasie: I have a cat and a dog. The cat’s name is Dany, short for Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. My dog’s name is Brie, short for Brienne of Tarth. She is a Greyhound and she is a couch potato.
Chris: How many cities have you lived in?
Kasie: Five states; I was born and raised in Wisconsin. As an adult, I’ve lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Houston, Texas, Wisconsin, and Champagne, Illinois for Grad school. I moved to Chicago for my first job after Library school – and now to Cincinnati! But my favorite is Wisconsin because it feels like home.
Chris: What is your favorite book structure to make?
Kasie: I like Long Stitch bindings. The sewing structure on the outside of the spine is beautiful and so customizable. But I always like to learn new binding structures.
Chris: Who do you think has influenced you most personally?
Kasie: My mom because we are really close. She is a very independent and active person. I feel like I’ve tried to follow those qualities. She is not afraid to try or get involved new things. She is a great lady.
Chris: Do you lean more toward Vampires or Zombies?
Kasie: Zombies. I do think the conservation lab would be a great place to be during a Zombie Apocalypse because we have all the sharp tools like a guillotine and scalpels. We know where the “safe house” is!
Interview by Chris Voynovich (PLCH) — Senior Conservation Assistant
A Virtual Preservation Lab Tour
Click on the link below for a virtual tour of our newly updated space:
Preservation Lab Virtual Tour Jan 2019
In October, the Preservation Lab welcomed special collections digital imaging to our workflow (for UC Libraries’ materials). This new function necessitated a small lab renovation:
During (top three images) and after (bottom two images):
The results are wonderful and we are so happy to have a new staff member!
Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer (PLCH) – Special Collections Conservator, Lab Manager
Madisonville Scrapbook
What a joy to have had the opportunity to recreate the Madisonville Scrapbook and make a support for it to be permanently displayed in the Madisonville Branch Library.
I love a challenge, and working with oversized pieces is always exhilarating. I am glad to be part of the team that was instrumental in preserving some of the valuable and exciting history of Madisonville. Props to Ashleigh Schieszer (overseer and mastermind), Jessica Ebert (documenter extraordinaire) Catarina Figueirinhas (artwork holder and pillar of steadfastness) and last but not least, Veronica Sorcher (supplying fun and offering her whole self as practical point of reference for the whole project).
Jessica and Veronica assisting Chris with adhering the turn-ins
Jessica and Veronica assisting Chris with adhering the turn-ins
My hope is that this project will be a catalyst for highlighting the importance of caring for and preserving the valuable history found in each community that the Public Library has the honor to serve. Though this project may seem a bit sizable, in truth it was worth the effort. I am confident that every community has remarkable history that can be cared for, as we preserve these stories we remember the events and individuals that have come before us. Let’s partner together to capture aspects of our culture that make up our past.
Veronica kindly obliged to modeling the scale of the scrapbook and its new cradle.
I am humbled and greatly appreciative for the opportunity to work in this department with such a great staff, and to be instrumental in preserving great works of art and historical information.
Before
After
Please click on the following link to download a one-page wonder zine about the preservation of the Madisonville scrapbook that you can cut, fold, and DIY!
ScrapbookOnePgWonder_CV_withInterior
Chris Voynovich (PLCH) – Senior Conservation Technician
Celebrating Innovation
On Nov. 1st in Langsam Library, Preservation Librarian, Holly Prochaska was mentioned at the UC Bicentennial publications reception for her essay titled, Serendipity and Stewardship as part of UC Libraries commemorative book, From the Temple of Zeus to the Hyperloop: University of Cincinnati Stories, edited by Greg Hand. Her essay describes how the first-ever collaborative lab came to fruition in Cincinnati, OH and is accompanied by an array of essays written by varying authors who highlight innovative leadership in Cincinnati, including one essay by Archives and Rare Books Librarian, Kevin Grace, whose stories are always captivating.
During the bicentennial reception we also learned how Greg Hand’s anthology of over 30 essays complemented Professor David Stradling’s publication about Cincinnati’s historical celebrity, Daniel Drake. Known for many accomplishments, I was surprised to learn how Drake played an instrumental role in the formation of the first public lending libraries in Ohio! Stradling’s book, In Service to the City: A History of the University of Cincinnati, is an in-depth dive into Drake’s wide reaching influence in the 19th century. Drake’s legacy and passion may be of interest to innovators today. As a contemporary innovator, it’s easy to see why Holly was invited to write about her leadership role in the formation of the collaborative lab, as well as how nicely these books complement one another.
Meanwhile, at the Public Library… On Sunday, Nov. 4th, Public Library staff were given commemorative pins to celebrate milestone years of employment at the Staff Retiree and Recognition Reception. Of particular mention…
Chris Voynovich received a 2018 Rufus Award and was honored for 20 years of employment at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Nominated by former Senior Conservation Assistant, Veronica Sorcher, the Award recognized Chris in the category for Growth and Innovation for his work on preserving the oversized Madisonville Sesquicentennial scrapbook from 1959! After a year of collaboration between the Madisonville Branch and Digital Services, the scrapbook was digitized, conserved, and returned home in improved condition with a brand new custom cradle, approximately 4 feet long. Way to go, Chris!
Having only been gone a few short months, Veronica’s nomination of her colleague, Chris Voynovich, is a nostalgic reminder of Veronica’s thoughtful contributions she’s made over the last seven years at the Preservation Lab. In Chris’ words, “I was blown away and almost fainted when the Director of the Library walked in the department to give me a Rufus award!” Veronica, we’re wishing you well as you settle in near family in Nova Scotia!
Ashleigh Schieszer (PLCH) —- Special Collections Conservator, Lab Manager
Two minds think better than one
The lab received this book from the UC Classics Library in very poor condition. Ashleigh identified that the red cloth cover was not original to the textblock and overtime it had fallen off, exposing prior binding repairs. Paper fragments along the spine indicated to her that the binding was once originally cased in a paper wrapper before being rebound in a variety of ways. The book, originally sewn with only two sewing stations, had also been side stapled (!!).The staples were extremely corroded, staining the textblock and causing tears along the spine of the textblock pages, however; the original folded gatherings were mostly intact with original sewing stations revealed.
Since this book was important to the library and the librarians wanted the book to be handled by patrons and available to all, we needed to come up with a solution for a new cover that would be supportive of the textblock, flexible and could withstand handling from patrons. We also wanted to conserve the binding in a sympathetic structure to how the text was originally cased and sewn.
While talking with the Lab Conservator, Ashleigh, we explored various ideas for the new conservation cover, and ended up combining what we both had in mind. Clearly, our ideas had been influenced by our professional development opportunities that we attended in May; the AIC meeting Ashleigh attended and the weeklong workshop I attended on historical book structures with Karen Hanmer.
Inspired by the Smithsonian Archives AIC poster, Ashleigh suggested a combination of a sewn boards binding from Gary Frost and a limp vellum binding, adapting the structure of a non-adhesive paper case I learned with Karen Hanmer. Together we decided to explore a combination of all binding structures. Using the sewn boards binding for inspiration, we sewed on library boards as an extra set of endsheets, in addition to paper endsheets. Conservation endbands were sewn on with a back bead, similar to a vellum binding, and were laced through the endsheets and cover, providing extra support and flexibility to the two sewing stations.
To test our idea, I created a small model (as we always do for new ideas). By creating a model I could explore our ideas without causing any harm to the original object.
Model: Sewn boards binding, limp vellum binding and non-adhesive paper case combination, with conservation endbands.
Textblock sewn through the original holes
The model structure was a success! Therefore we proceeded to conserve the original book, starting with removing the staples. After Ashleigh removed the staples, I guarded several gatherings throughout the textblock with Japanese tissue and the textblock was sewn with a link stitch through the original sewing holes with an 18/3 linen thread.
In preparation for the new cover, a combination of sewn boards binding by Gary Frost, limp vellum binding and non-adhesive paper case by Karen Hanmer, two folios of 10 point board Bristol were sewn onto the textblock, one on each side, and lined on the inside with a sheet of 20 point board adhered with PVA.
Conservation endbands of a laminate of alum tawed leather and parchment were sewn, providing extra support for the cover attachment to the textblock.
Sewn boards onto the textblock with conservation endbands
The new cover was created with Cave Paper and adhered to the textblock by wrapping the paper case around the sewn boards and lacing the endbands through the cover.
And the final result…You can see, two minds are better than one…
Detail of the conservation endbands
Catarina Figueirinhas (UCL) —- Senior Conservation Technician
Images from the Smithsonian Institution Archives poster at the 2018 AIC annual Conference:
Fun with PhotoDoc – In the News (Edition 9)
Check out this new article written by our lead photographic documentation technician, Jessica Ebert, on the exciting world of photographic documentation in the Preservation Lab: http://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/source/photo-documentation-in-the-preservation-lab/
This is an example of one of the pieces that was photographed under UV radiation in a recent workshop Jessica attended through AIC. In this workshop at Duke University, taught by conservator Jennifer McGlinchey Sexton, participants learned how to identify the best UV lamps for conservation documentation, how to test for visible light leakage, and how to standardize UV documentation workflow using the Target UV (to the right of the painting).