Preserving the Past One Spine at a Time

Preserving the Past One Spine at a Time from Cassandra Blohowiak on Vimeo.

Until the mid-19th century, paper was made from rags. Their flexible fibers strengthened pages so they could be bent without tearing. It’s no wonder, then, that books like Sermons de M. Massillon by Jean-Baptiste Massillon, published in 1745, still pack Northwestern University Library shelves. But the real secret is the added TLC from conservationists such as Tedd Anderson.

Anderson, 25,is a technician in the library’s Conservation Lab. After getting his start in making books from scratch at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he now spends his days repairing ancient spines and stretching new covers over some of Northwestern’s oldest editions.

Conservation is part of the library’s 25-year-old Preservation Department, which cares for and reformats the university’s collections. But the lab remained a hidden division in the main library’s basement until this past February when a large, rectangular window was installed in their front door. Now passersby can peek in at a giant, rusty board sheers the staff uses to slice through paper heaps, or stacks of tattered books carefully piled on the “to-fix” shelf.

Most people think of books as old-fashioned, but Anderson would argue to the contrary. “It’s really interesting when you think about how the book came about. It’s actually a hefty piece of technology,” he said.

While the Conservation staff is made up of only five people, Anderson included, the job they do is essential to the library’s success. “There’s a lot to be said for tactile objects we create,” said Anderson. “Sometimes the information in a book isn’t enough to understand something historically, so we work to preserve the bindings as well.”

And although he claims the work is relaxing (he listens to NPR during his "laid back" 9:15 to 5:15 days), he is ensuring Northwestern students have access to history one book spine at a time.