Preservation Department Page

Sheridan Libraries Preservation Department
Staff Help Request Form

Library staff should use this form to communicate non-Library disaster Preservation issues. The
General Collections Conservation Unit will review it and will act upon this request as soon as
possible. If we cannot meet the requested date, we will inform you by e-mail or fax as to the
action requested.

Staff Help Request Form

Department's History

Established in 1974 under the leadership of John Dean, The Johns Hopkins Preservation Department is one of the oldest library preservation programs and preservation apprenticeship programs in the United States. Modeled upon the City and Guilds of London Institute, the Preservation Department has continued to offer preservation training and workshops for conservation technicians, preservation administrators, and conservation interns alike, for over three decades.

Mission Statement

The Preservation Department is responsible for developing and implementing a variety of activities and programs designed to protect and to ensure the continued usability of materials in the Sheridan Libraries' collections. The Department's programs include environmental monitoring, special and general collections conservation, commercial binding, mass deacidification, disaster preparedness and recovery, staff and user education (see Care and Handling of the Collections), and reformatting deteriorated volumes. The department has four units that implement its preservation agenda.

The Special Collections Conservation Unit (SCCU) is housed in Krieger Hall and consists of two conservation labs to support conservation treatment of the rare and unique materials held by the Sheridan Libraries. The Unit is staffed by two conservators, one part-time intern, and employs one to two part time student assistants each semester.

The SCCU is responsible for evaluating the condition of rare and/or unique materials and providing preventative and remedial treatments as necessary. SCCU staff work closely with subject specialists, curators and staff of the Department of Rare Books & Special Collections to determine priorities for conservation. Materials treated by the unit include rare books, early bound manuscripts, modern manuscripts, and art on paper.

In addition to treatment of collections, conservation staff are responsible for the review, preparation, and installation of objects in conjunction with the Libraries Exhibition Program.

On a larger scale, the Preservation Department partners with other JHU libraries, archives, and departmental collections to form university-wide committees to address a wide range of systematic preservation issues. In 2004, the Film & Video Preservation Committee was formed to review and assess the large inventory of film and video collections throughout campus. Similarly, a Preservation Task Force Committee was convened in 2005 to begin a comprehensive assessment of preservation issues affecting book and paper collections throughout JHU libraries and archives.

The General Collections Conservation Unit (GCCU) is responsible for assessing and treating general collections materials for the Sheridan Libraries. Also housed in Krieger Hall, the GCCU is supported by one full time conservator and an average of ten student assistants each semester.

Based on special collections techniques, Unit staffs provide both preventative and remedial physical treatment, in a highly batched and efficient manner to meet the high volume demand of circulating collections. Physical treatment incorporates a wide variety of techniques, including pamphlet binding, paper mending, hinging in loose pages, reattaching covers, rebinding, and constructing protective enclosures.

The Commercial Bindery Unit (CBU) coordinates and oversees all commercial binding activities for the Sheridan Libraries. The Commercial Bindery unit is located in the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. The Commercial Bindery Unit is supported by two full time staff and one part time student assistant. The Unit prepares, ships, receives, and performs quality control for all serial and monographic volumes which are commercially bound or rebound.

Commercial library binding is used to provide bindings for dissertations and theses, loose journal issues, paperbacks, and, is used selectively, to rebind volumes that are not otherwise in need of physical repair. The Unit is also responsible for coordinating the Department's preservation photocopying and mass deacidification programs, as well as for managing the Shelf Preparations unit.

The Shelf Preparations Unit (SPU) is responsible for preparing library materials for the shelf to be used by readers. Preparations includes creating, correcting, and adhering call number labels, applying property stamps and security strips, for every item on the shelf in the Sheridan Libraries. The SPU is housed in the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and is supported by one full time staff.

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