Conservation of Culture and Intellectual Property

Throughout history, critical information concerning our culture, heritage and life experiences has been captured in handwriting or print, and published for archival purposes. Within the educational system, library binding is an essential component of the University libraries’ conservation efforts to preserve, protect and extend the useful life of their extensive and valuable collections of printed materials.

Maximum Shelf Life

For every book that is preserved and kept in usable condition, the resources that would be required to produce a replacement copy, such as ink, paper and electricity, are spared. Library Bindery Services employs many techniques to extend the useful life of UC printed material, including the use of high-quality, durable binding materials and the practice of the latest conservation methodologies and production processes established by the ANSI/NISO/LBI National Standard for Library Binding. Books bound in accordance with these standards have a significantly longer shelf life than books purchased directly from book publishers.

Environmentally Friendly Materials

To demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility, Library Bindery Services has adopted the following practices:

• New book bindings or book binding repairs are constructed from recycled or renewable materials
• All cover boards are made from 100% recycled paper
• The cotton fiber substrate within woven cover materials is coated with water-based acrylics as opposed to oil-based coatings
• NOTE: cloth manufacturing processes incorporating oil-based coatings emit higher levels of hazardous effluents during the production process
• All endpapers are acid free (PH neutral)