Preservation Unit: Access and Preservation

The Preservation Unit of the University of North Texas Libraries is responsible for protecting and maintaining materials in the Libraries' general collections, the Government Documents Department, the Music Library, and the University Archives.  The Preservation Unit occupies 3,000 square feet in the UNT Library Annex.  This includes:

• an 1,800 square foot preservation laboratory with designated work areas for book repair, pamphlet binding, box making, deacidification, and encapsulation,
• a binding preparation and processing workroom,
• an archives workroom including equipment for microfilming,
• a film transfer room,
• and a supply storage room.

 Binding

Commercial binding is done on a 3-week schedule.  We send 500-700 items to the bindery during each 3-week cycle.  These are primarily periodicals, although monographs and music scores are also sent to the bindery on occasion.

In-house binding is performed by staff in the Access and Preservation Unit and includes velo-binding, pamphlet binding, hand-sewn binding, and recasing.

 Processing

Processing is done as items are received from Technical Services, the bindery, or the preservation lab.  Processing materials can include applying call numbers, assigning barcodes, creating pockets for loose supplements, minor repairs, and strengthening original bindings through the use of book tape or Kapco covers.

 Preservation/Conservation

Preservation measures include marking library materials with a UNT property stamp and inserting a security device.  Some paperback books are strengthened or stabilized during processing as needed.  Other acquisitions -music scores for example - are routinely pamphlet bound.

Basic repair activities include, but are not limited to, mending paper, rebacks, recases, and hinge tightening. 

Stabilization and storage activities include creating custom enclosures (e.g. portfolio binders, phase boxes, and light-weight boxes), deacidification, encapsulation, and rehousing archival materials.