Book Conservation and Preservation Resources

A Measure of Success: An African American Photograph Album from Turn-of-the-Twentieth-Century Connecticut, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

This video, produced by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), is about the conservation treatment of the photograph album of Allston family and other portraits (1880s–1910), made possible by federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the Smithsonian National Collections Program. The video features a conversation about the treatment goals, plans, and results with Mirasol Estrada, photograph conservator, and Laura Coyle, assistant director of collection cataloguing and digitization at the NMAAHC; and Jessica Henze, senior book conservator at the Northeast Document Conservation Center.

Book Conservation Showcase 2022, NEDCC
NEDCC's Associate Book Conservator Mary French highlights the conservation treatments of three unique books: a Victorian hair album, a medieval manuscript, and a Kashmiri birch bark binding.

Book Conservation: What is it and how to care for your personal collection, Mark Twain Library Media
NEDCC's Director of Book Conservation Bexx Caswell-Olson gives a behind-the-scenes tour of the book conservation lab and conservation projects, as well as tips for taking care of your own collections at home.

Creating Scrapbooks that Last, NEDCC
This webinar introduces archival materials and resources that can be used to construct stronger, more durable scrapbooks that can withstand the test of time.

Examples of Book Conservation Projects, NEDCC
As part of #AskAConservator Day, NEDCC's Director of Book Conservation explains what types of projects come through the book conservation lab.

“Hair Today Gone Tomorrow” with Mary French, Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village
NEDCC's Associate Book Conservator Mary French discusses her conservation work on a 19th-century hair album.

Honoring the Past While Preparing for the Future: Conservation of a 15th Century Manuscript on the Life of St. Augustine, NEDCC
NEDCC's Associate Book Conservator Mary French discusses her conservation work on a 15th-century manuscript on the life of St. Augustine.

How a One-Of-A-Kind 1850s Record Book is Professionally Conserved | Refurbished, Insider
NEDCC's book conservation staff show how they restore a 170-year-old marriage record book.

How to Interleave a Bound Volume, NEDCC

How to Vacuum a Dusty Book, NEDCC
Demonstration of vacuuming a dusty book: head, tail, foredge, and gutter.

Long Term Preservation for Early Record Books, NEDCC
This webinar discusses how to identify different types of early records that you may have in your collection and special considerations for their storage and handling.

Rebinding a Record Book, NEDCC

Tools for Book Conservation, NEDCC
As part of #AskAConservator Day, NEDCC's Senior Book Conservator Jessica Henze shares which tools are typically used by book conservators and what their purpose is.

Understanding the Leafcasting Process, NEDCC
Leafcasting is a conservation technique used to repair documents with significant damage, such as gaps or tears. This process uses a special machine to fill areas of loss with a pulp mixture, resulting in a seamless repair. Join Book Conservation Intern India Patel and Associate Book Conservator Kiyoshi Imai as they walk you through the process.

Vacuuming Moldy Books & Paper, NEDCC
NEDCC's Director of Book Conservation Bexx Caswell-Olson shares tips for safely removing inactive mold from books and paper.

Wilcox Bible Unboxing, Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Historic Site
A wonderful demonstration of the quality NEDCC puts into shipping items back to clients.

2024

Conservation and Digitization of Town Death Records

Conservation Treatment of Nat Turner’s Bible

2023

A Case Study in Producing Bound Facsimiles

2022

A Signature Piece of Florida History: Conserving an Autograph Album of War Correspondents and Artists, Signatures and Sketches

2021

Honoring the Past While Preparing for the Future: Conservation of a 15th Century Manuscript on the Life of St. Augustine

2020

Conservation of Sarah Davenport's Hair Album - Part 1: History of Victorian Hairwork and Background of the Davenport Album

Conservation of Sarah Davenport's Hair Album - Part 2: Conservation Treatment and Digitization of the Album

Conservation of the South Carolina Constitutions - Part 1: The Preservation Catch-22

2018

Dimes for the Constitution - Oregon Citizens Crowdfund Preservation of the State Constitution

2016

Illumination Beyond Words: Boston Institutions Prepare for a Groundbreaking Exhibition of Illuminated Manuscripts

Shadow Catching: Conservation of Rare Edward S. Curtis Volumes for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

"Starboard Boat Struck a Whale" - Whaling Logs Conserved and Digitized for the Martha's Vineyard Museum

2015

Keeping it Simple: Conservation Treatment of a Kelmscott Chaucer

Mayflower Passages - Conservation and Digitization of the Bradford Manuscript 1630-1650

2013

Sitting with Woody: Preservation of Guthrie Archives Collections