The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-06-10
Frederick Haskin's Letter
Especial cosespoadence Arxusl
KEEPING BOOKS nv CONDITION

ia cheap, WORKOUT cover NV
able one, but they are nrs, /. uli-
helpless before the iDferjo- ea9...7
| OF paper on which the es zoe
modern books are printed ss-psi
Of the popular novels 20 tn - S.4a
like the "one-hass shay" of NJ si-slss
poem. Not only do the covers -9, a-s'
out, but the paper edges tss- YEA,
the threads cut through tbo - an az
where the book is sewed to,at.ele
Books of this grade and no1 9T--sl.
have a short, intense career ana.
discarded when they can no ~. e
be repaired. ''Hga
Preserving Newspapers
How to preserve newsbane-.
more difficult problem. Tbs q
York public library has hi, .'es
plan which it regards as sat- y :
tory. Each page OF news prin ,.- :
a bound volume is enclosed IN ~
Japanese tissue. To prenars -, -.
volume of a newspaper. confs,,Gs.l,
only months issues. by this -
cd costs S45. But with an a. -
the future, when the Dewq1o,.-o
of today Will be valuable oid III.
toric documents, the New Yor, ,'i n
brary is using this tissue for -
rent, newly bound papers
The library of congress doe -.
go to this expense and AN, ~ \,
keeping its great coElection !,
newspapers. There is an eytra,,s
" fine grade of tissue, called cFe5s
line, that is used on important Z.
pers to keep them from fani,.
apart, and the library of cnBgra-ss
has used this material on one =
two volumes of its oldest new-s
pers.
Great skill is required in snnt
ing this crepeline TO a sheet az 4.
per. The material is a sort of cSY
fon, a mixture of silk and mercs,
lied cotton so filmy that it il al
most transparent. The page TIA.
rs to be preserved with the tisg1s
is first treated with a fine flour an
water paste. The paste must be a.
exactly the right grade, and tbs
big camels' hair brush must Law f
over the paper so that no brnsS
marks are left, and so that M
coating is absolutely smooth. Tbs-
the crepeline is laid smoothly an
top and the page is put under heayy
pressure between paraffne sbeets
The paste is taken up by the mar.
afine, but enough is left to fastsa
the threads Of the tissue to he
paper.
The agreement of secrecy Of The
continental congress and the only
surviving draft of the Declaration
Of independence are among the
documents that the library of con-
gress has preserved with this trans
parent covering.
Caring for the governments col.
lection of books and papers in
cludes not only the Tebinding and
repairing them when necessary
but also keeping them clean. The
task of busting so large a colec-
ton may be imagined from the
fact that it takes a nan with
vacuum cleaner a mon y to clean
the books on one deck Of a stack
To make the round of the stacks in
the building at this rate would
take three years.
Books in this library do not col
lect dust so rapidly as books on
shelves in a home. The stacks are
as nearly dust-proof and damp
proof as possible. Windows in the
stacks are never opened. A ven,
system keeps the air fresh
Because OF the drynesz. the IL
brary has no trouble with ants or
bookwoTms. Insects of this sort
get into imported books
when they are brough:
over in the hold of a ship. but sgc1
books are generally disinfeCted be
fore being placed on file and in The
dry and uncOngeniaI atmosphere @.
the stacks any survivors would
soon die.
The cockroach is the only inseC
hat has ever ANNOYED the library
officials by insistent vitality. Al
)ne time coCkroaches got into some
Of the books and developed an
appetite for the glaze IN
he buckram covers. They also ate
he gold off the titles and decora-
ions because of the albumen L
The library got rid Of
.hese expansive boaTdeTs, however,
and now il uses a buckTam that is
f0offer no attraction TO
Insects.
The weather. insects. action Of
sunlight. and dust, are al guarded
against in the governments big
book collection. Only The human
,lement-the wear ana tear Of
handling the boOks-defes regula-
ion