[Publib] Breaking In Books

Thu Nov 1 10:32:10 EDT 2007

Judy, it's a practice from Library Days of Yore, and was part of How
Books Are Processed.  I believe the reason was to 'adjust' the spine
gently (with a tip of the hat to chiropractors <g>) so that patrons
wouldn't crack a stiff spine upon first opening.  

How Books Are Processed included accessioning.   I remember not only the
loose-leaf Gaylord accession books, but also the huge bound volumes
(with marbled endpapers), ACCESSION RECORD gold-stamped on the leather
spine.   A book's accession number was written on the Magic Page (some
libraries it was p. 29, others p. 99).   When books were discarded their
entries were crossed off in the Accession Record.   It took a lot of
time. 

It was so liberating to realize that the Accession Record could be
abandoned and a daily/weekly tally of hashmarks (or hatchmarks, see
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002900.html) kept
the count of "items added" or "items deleted" just as well.  [My
liberation came in 1980.  Others' dates may differ.]

Nann
@the library in Zion, Illinois 
.....and what was YOUR library's Magic Page?....  

________________________________

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Judith Turner
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 9:07 PM
To: Publib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Publib] Breaking In Books

Hi, SueAnn -- 

I don't know where the practice of "breaking-in" books originated and
I'd appreciate hearing from librarians who can explain the basis for
this practice.

There are such a variety of materials used in modern book making and
some
are chemically incompatible with others, leading to paper and bindings
becoming brittle and shortening the book's useful life..  Paper costs
and shipping weights have led to narrower gutters and less flexible
components.

Materials like threads or glues used to bind the book, the boards and
spines, the different fabrics used to create covers, the presence of
leather in the spine and on the edges, and the paper itself all react
differently to pressure being exerted and room temperature and relative
humidity in the area where they are stored.

Having had a fair number of experiences with poorly bound modern books -
both personal and library books where pages bound with glue pop loose
the first time the book is opened to entire signatures splitting off the
threads - I'd skip the "breaking-in" process entirely unless it is being
doing for a very good reason and by someone who knows how books are
constructed.  I think the practice is more likely to fracture or damage
something holding the item together than it is to make it easier for
library processing or readers to open.

Judy Turner
Whitefish Bay, WI

SueAnn Pekel <sapekel at hotmail.com> wrote: 

	Is 'breaking in books' still a necessary step in processing new
materials?  Are there benefits of performing this function?  Does it
protect the spine?  Does it prolong the life of the book?  Is it
necessary for all bindings?  Our receiving department is not doing this
and we are wondering if we should change procedures to include this
step.  All opinions will be appreciated.  Thanks!
	Sue Ann Pekel
	Children's Librarian
	Bentonville Public Library
	Bentonville, AR  72712

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