Introduction:
Within the Preservation Office General Collections Conservation (GCC) is responsible for maintaining and repairing heavily used and damaged materials from the Library's general collections. The staff presently consists of one professional (Genearl Collections Conservator) and three Conservation Technicians. In FY 07/08 nearly 13,000 items were handled by the unit staff. The philosophy of collections conservation at Princeton is high production, conservationally sound treatments, and aesthetically pleasing results.
Damaged material is identified by library staff through circulation and reshelving activities and at the many service points in the various branch libraries. This material is sent to General Collections Conservation for review. There, the General Collections Conservator decides upon the most appropriate treatment option for every item, including whether it requires in-house or contract treatment (i.e.: commercial library binding or boxing) or additional bibliographic review when items cannot be repaired due to brittleness, mutilation, or advanced deterioration. In these instances Public Services & Collection Development Department staff decide the most appropriate preservation option including print replacement, preservation photocopying, microfilming or protective housing. In addition, bibliographers and selectors work with collection conservation staff to identify heavily used subject areas in the stacks which do not normally have recorded use but which require maintenance and treatment.
Continued access to material is fundamental to library service. All conservation treatments, standards, and policies are established with access in mind. To this end, material is repaired or rebound rather than boxed in most cases because it is believed that a visible and fully functional item is more accessible and usable than a damaged or deteriorated one which is hidden in a box. The unit attempts to turn around material on the following schedule: 24-48 hours for special rush situations, 5 days for normal rush, and 30 days for normal treatment.
