The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-09
LIBRARY HOSPITALS
A QUIET CORNER WHERE MANNED
AND AGED BOOKS ARE OOCTOREO,
Delicate Operations Are often NeccS-
Aary For Injured Volumes ann
Much Ingenuity IL Required nt
TImes-HOW Book Surgeons work

NAFS "pAN"A'
Much Ingenuity IL Required M
TImes--H0w Book Surgeons work
In every up to date public library (
there is Quiet corner used as D}oN 7
hospital. where worn. aged and mann /
ell volumes are sent for treatment ana
often surgical operations, The women
and children of the library that IS, the !
novels and juveniles-are found in the
hospital the most frequently. aud often
they are beyond cure. But the skultul
llhrary worker has ali sorts Of devices
for making broken down books appear
fresh and new again, and often re-
mArkabe cure Is effected
II a book were east aside the minute
its back was broken or were not given I
proper treatment when leaf became.
loose, the library would soon find itself
doubling expenses for duplicates OF oid
voumes and with little money for new
works Careful treatment. on the 9TH
or hand will add years to the life OF
book aad will materially lessen the eX-
peuseS Of a public library,
This hospital Is fitted up in very
simple manner. There are shelves upon
which the invalid books are placed un-
ill treatment can be given them. Then
there are other shelves where they are
placed to convaiesce and sometimes 10
regain consciousness after a serious
surgical operation. There are operating
tables and neat little boxes in which
there are rolls of black pcrcae and
yards of white percaie, sheets of par
ATTN paper, long strips of thin but tine
quality paper. narrow rolls of gummed
paper bundles of grass cloth, balls %
string. sandpeper, coarse thread and
white null.
In sung iittle compartments is the
medicine consisting of glue and paste
The surgical instruments in little
case consist OF pair OF forceps.
small wooden paddle. thin wooden
board and papers of needles. Then
there IS an instrument of tUrture-a
heavy press which is generally applied
at the close of an operation.
There are ali sorts OF complaints
among the books. and the most prrya-
lent is the broken back. This comes
from the book assuming an unhcath-
ful position. such as leaning W iaZtiY
against 0thcr books. resting on lis front
edses or lying Hat on its side. \ Vigpr-
ous use of paste and glue often cures
this complaint. but in some eases del
icate operation Is resorted to-
Thea the cover is stripped entirely
of the back aud the title is carefully
cut out. Next the paper back of the
book is peeled on, a piece Of grass
cloth is then applied and firmly glued
into its place The old cover, with the
again. and then the book is tied up
with strings aud left OH the Shelf to
recover a little. When strong enough,
a black percale back is carefully fitted
over the old back. and the old title Is
pasted on the outside.
Small fingers injure the complexion
of the books greatly. and sandpaper IL
used great deal on juvenile fiction
inyalids The edges ut the hook are
rubbed with this rough paper. taking
of the dirt aud the yellow appearance.
RotAh edges of leaves are frequent
also in this branch OF literature. These
leaves are carefully trimmed off. and
thin strip OF nice quality paper is
pasted on to make clean, regular
edge
"Butting" is n method Of operating
that is not used by all book surgeons
This consists in placing With the wood
: en- paddle Il thin line of glue on the
edges of torn leaf and then pressing
them tightly together 1t has beer
demonstrated thoroughly that this but
ting holds the torn leaf just as firmly
y as and is much more satisfactory thar
. the Old method of pasting gummet
transparent paper over the toru places
The loose leaves are trcquen
source of annoyance to the book doc
tors. The remedy for these bother
some leaves is n hinge of percac o
paper, Witch holds the unruy page il
). place after the heavy press has beer
r brought to bear on the book In suci
cases the thin board is always used t.
slip into HE volume. 50 that it viii
keep its shape properly.
The operation which requires th
most SKID is the sewing of the sigma
1t turc or division of book back int
i place The needle and coarse threa,
are puNh q in and out Of the holes ii
the signature and the binding. aut
~ when il becomes awkward to use th
fingers the slender forCcps are used t
draw the needle in and ont.
p. 1t is part of the work of every puhli
30 library employee to take n hand in tn
a hospital department, and jn%onuit,
4 supplies means to remedy oyrry com
plaint that is conIurcd UP hH even tn
most crratc book. The boo, docto
trusts wholly to her own VII and skill
fn fingers to effect q cure. and thcr
arc few cases that are hopciess.-Ney