Technical Services Procedures

University of Missouri Libraries

Technical Services Procedure No. 5

Library Binding Procedures

• 0.0 CONTENTS
• 1.0 General Guidelines
• 2.0 Serial Binding
• 3.0 Monograph and Monographic Series Binding
• 4.0 Replacement Pages
• 5.0 Brittle Books
• 6.0 Alternatives to Binding
• 7.0 Inter-Departmental Order Binding
• 8.0 Rush Binding

1.0 GENERAL GUIDELINES

• The purpose of a binding policy is to provide for the protection of library materials. In a research library, most materials are selected for permanent research value and, therefore, should be preserved. Preservation is the action taken to prevent, stop or retard deterioration of library materials as well as to improve their condition or, as necessary, to change their format in order to preserve their intellectual content. With the information provided in this binding policy, staff will be able to determine what should be treated as well as how it should be treated.
• Unbound materials which are used with any frequency will have a relatively short shelf-life. The basic requirement of binding is to affix the leaves of books in the least damaging method. The long-term usability and life-expectancy of book materials in any library collection depend a great deal on the type of binding first put around that material. This policy provides guidelines regarding which available physical treatment alternatives are suitable for given items.
• Responsibility and authority for binding decisions in the University of Missouri Libraries rests with the following positions (or their representatives): the Collection Development Committee, Reference and Branch Librarians, the Heads of Special Collections, Access Services, Preservation and Physical Processing plus the Bindery Supervisor. It is important that every item intended for retention in the collection be bound at the earliest practical moment. The Preservation and Physical Processing staff is ready to provide additional technical information, advice and consultation. However, the final decision cannot be based on technical factors alone.
  • 1.1 Identifying Materials Needing Treatment
    • Each library unit should have two on-going routines: one for preparing materials–chiefly serials–for first-time binding; and the other for identifying previously-bound materials in need of re-binding or repair.
    • Actual procedures may vary owing to differences in size of collections and staff, and in the types of materials found in different library areas.
    • 1.1.2 Several decision points exist for identifying items needing treatment:
    • 1.1.2.1 when materials are acquired;
    • 1.1.2.2 when materials are ready for cataloging;
    • 1.1.2.3 when materials circulate;
    • 1.1.2.4 when materials are added to or removed from reserve or reference collections;
    • 1.1.2.5 when adjacent materials are shelved;
    • 1.1.2.6 when shelf reading, cleaning or shifting is done;
    • 1.1.2.7 when patrons point out damage;
    • 1.1.2.8 when barcoding.
    • 1.1.3 Area library staff select items for treatment according to:
    • 1.1.3.1 the importance of the material to the collection;
    • 1.1.3.2 the physical condition;
    • 1.1.3.3 the probable use of the material.
    • 1.1.4 Material no longer needed should be withdrawn without any treatment.
    • 1.1.5 Damaged materials, with the exception of brittle books (see 5.0) should be forwarded to Preservation and Physical Processing on a timely basis.
    • 1.1.5.1 No rubber bands are to be used at any time on library materials.
    • 1.1.5.2 GripTites are to be used to wrap or otherwise secure normal size materials in transit.
    • 1.1.5.3 White cotton string tied in a bow is to be used to wrap or otherwise secure oversize materials in transit.
    • 1.1.6 Priorities for treatment will be determined by the Head of Technical Services in consultation with Reference and Branch Librarians and the Preservation Librarian.

2.0 SERIALS BINDING

• These general guidelines will be followed in determining in-house or commercial binding treatments for serial publications.
• 2.0.1 Treatments for all Reference (REF) materials will be determined by the Reference librarians.
• 2.0.2 Treatments for all Special Collections materials will be determined by the Head of Special Collections.
• 2.1 Thickness
• Except in special cases and for good reason, materials are to be cumulated and bound into volumes approximately two to two and one-half inches in thickness. As a direct result of their bulk and weight, thick volumes are more difficult to handle, hence vulnerable to damage. Additional thickness in volumes entails extra costs. (On the other hand, undersized volumes are both financially and spatially inefficient.)
• 2.1.1 In the case of glossy or heavy coated paper, the thickness of bound volumes should be kept under two inches because of the weight factor involved.
• 2.2 Arrangement of Parts
• The proper arrangement of parts to be bound is: title page, table of contents, issues, followed by any supplements (see 2.9 for variations), and indexes.
• 2.2.1 Table of contents and/or title pages are provided by some publishers. These may be issued as separate items, or included with the index, if published. They are integral parts of the volume and should be quickly procured and safeguarded until binding takes place.
• 2.2.2 All issues and parts constituting a bibliographic unit should be gathered and put in the correct sequence of arrangement before they are sent from their respective library areas to Bindery.
• 2.2.3 Inspection of bibliographic volumes will be carried out by the Bindery staff person who has the volume in hand prior to shipment to the commercial binder.
• 2.2.4 When the index or table of contents or title page are issued as one unit instead of separately, then they should still be arranged in the order described in 2.2 unless they cannot be physically separated.
• 2.2.5 Reference Librarians and Branch Librarians are responsible for removing any bound-in, interim indexes that are superseded by an annual index.
• 2.2.6 If a cumulative index is published as a separate item, it is practical to bind it separately from the volumes to which it applies.
• 2.2.7 Interim indexes that are superseded by an annual volume or index should not, as a matter of practice, be bound.
• 2.2.7.1 Such items can be treated in-house.
• 2.2.7.2 Exceptions may be determined by Reference and Branch Librarians.
• 2.3 Folded Pages
• Some issues have large pages that are folded. If needed, refold the page before sending it to be bound so that it is not trimmed off. Alert the commercial binder.
• 2.4 Loose Material
• In general, where practical, such materials as maps, charts, inserts, bulky maps and other loose material should be hinged by Preservation and Physical Processing and bound in their appropriate places.
• 2.4.1 Bulky maps or similar materials may be placed in pockets made by the commercial binder at the back of the volume.
• 2.4.1.1 An inventory form (Form 160) is prepared by the Bindery for use by Circulation.
• 2.4.2 Materials, such as microfiche, which prove too bulky for pockets at the back of volumes, should be housed separately in archival containers to be selected by the Preservation Librarian.
• 2.4.2.1 These items will be labeled and given unique volume designations.
• 2.4.2.2 A note shall be placed in LUMIN regarding the existence and location of these loose materials.
• 2.4.2.3 Bindery will place plates in volumes near date due slips alerting users to the existence and location of accompanying loose material.
• 2.5 Covers
• 2.5.1 Front and back covers of scholarly journals that DO NOT contain pertinent information should be dispensed with, particularly when they are not paginated with the text and a separate title page for the volume is published.
• 2.5.1.1 It may occasionally be useful to retain the front cover of the first issue of a volume as title page, in which case the other covers are removed.
• 2.5.2 Front and back covers are preserved for popular magazines for their artistic value or useful illustrations. They may also contain tables of contents or prove useful in separating the issues in the bound volume.
• 2.6 Advertisements
• Advertisements have been judged a necessary, worthwhile part of periodicals and should be preserved.
• 2.7 Supplementary Material
• Supplementary material that is not cataloged separately will be handled as follows:
• 2.7.1 Later issued supplements in the form of advertising will be discarded;
• 2.7.2 A supplement that is indexed as part of a volume or paged continuously with a particular issue should be bound with the volume;
• 2.7.3 A supplement issued separately, but designated as part of an issue and paged continuously with that issue, is best bound in place with its cover retained.
• 2.7.4 A supplement not paged continuously, even though it is designated as part of an issue, is best bound with its cover intact at the end of the volume before the index.
• 2.7.5 Supplements that have their own index may be bound with the index as a separate item or at the end of a volume, after the volume index. (The proper order would be volume issues, volume index followed by the supplements and their index.)
• 2.8 Special Features
• Specially featured information, such as the proceedings of an organizational body, which is paginated separately from the text of the issue and continuously with the identical materials in succeeding issues, is most effectively bound together at the end of the volume.
• 2.8.1 If specially featured items have their own index, it is best for this index to be with them rather than with the index to the volume.
• 2.9 Commercial Binding Options
• 2.9.1 The commercial binder will collate and sew through the fold of text blocks comprised of serial issues published in single-fold section format. No trimming of the inner margins is involved: re-binding is less of a problem. The volume will open and lie flat after binding as–ideally–should all properly bound volumes: photocopying becomes less potentially damaging.
• 2.9.2 The commercial binder will collate and double-fan adhesive bind volumes comprised of single sheets, unattached sheets where the text block is sufficiently light in weight and paper absorbent enough.
• 2.9.3 According to its professional judgement, the commercial binder will oversew or adhesive bind volumes printed on glossy stiff paper as well as those that are over two inches in thickness.
• 2.10 Irregular Sized Issues
• 2.10.1 Irregularly sized issues comprising a single volume will be bound together if the variance between the height of any two issues does not exceed one inch.
• 2.10.2 Irregularly sized issues comprising a single volume which vary more than one inch in height or width shall not be bound together in a single volume.
• 2.10.2.1 Such issues should be arranged sequentially, then grouped so that the variance in size between adjacent issues does not exceed one inch in either height or width.
• 2.10.2.2 These groupings–or single issues–should be bound separately by the commercial binder.
• 2.11 In-House Binding
• Highly used, specially designated Reference items (such as READER'S GUIDE) should be paperback stiffened and plasticized when received. Such items need protecting until they are bound or replaced by a bound cumulations.
• 2.12 Binding Incomplete
• Binding incomplete volumes is generally inadvisable and should be avoided if at all possible.
• 2.12.1 In the case of titles with parts (e.g., indexes, table of contents, title pages) that are known to be unusually late in arriving:
• 2.12.1.1 Information about the receipt of parts of volumes should be noted on the Bindery pattern card as well as CPRR and other area holdings cards.
• 2.12.1.2 If the item not received is known to be less than eight leaves (16 contiguous pages) in length, the volume should be bound incomplete and the item tipped in later, after it is received.
• 2.12.1.3 If the item not received is known to be made up of more than eight leaves (16 contiguous pages), binding should be delayed until the volume is complete.
  • 1. Issues on hand should be bundled and/or maintained on the CPRR office shelves or in Branch libraries until the volume is complete.
  • 2. Items may be bound incomplete and the missing issue(s), parts and/or index bound separately when received.
• 2.13 Claiming
• 2.13.1 Claiming should be initiated at the earliest possible date for items never received or received in damaged condition.
• 2.13.2 Claiming efforts should not exceed a period of one year if domestic; one and one half years if foreign.
• 2.13.3 Claiming efforts should be documented by CPRR and other areas on a claim/replacement documentation streamer, creeated at the time the claim is initiated.
• 2.13.3.1 The title of the volume is written at the top of the streamer and the date of the initial claim is noted.
• 2.13.3.2 The streamer accompanies incomplete volumes to the Bindery.
• 2.13.4 Missing items should be claimed as followed:
• 2.13.4.1 Every effort should be made to systematically claim lapsed serials, particularly those titles having time limits on claims. A Form 55 should be sent to the Claims Clerk.
• 2.13.4.2 Items never received should be claimed by CPRR, other areas, or Serials Acquisitions immediately after the next two issues are checked in for weekly and monthly publications; as soon as the next issue is checked in for less frequently published titles.
• 2.13.4.3 Items never received by CPRR (or other areas) subsequent to being checked in by Serials Acquisitions should be requested from the Claims Clerk as replacements unless it can be proven that the item was not received, i.e., mistakenly checked in, in which case it should be claimed.
• 2.13.5 Unbound volumes for which claims are being processed will generally be held for one year if domestic; one and one-half years if foreign. (See 2.14.6)
• 2.13.6 In the event claiming efforts are unsuccessful, the original Form 55 is returned to its point of origin to be resubmitted to the Claims Clerk as a replacement request.
• 2.14 Replacements
• 2.14.1 Replacement efforts will be undertaken at the earliest possible date for lost or stolen items as well as any unavailable through claiming.
• 2.14.1.1 Replacement efforts should be documented at the point of origin on a claim/replacement documentation streamer, created at the time the replacement is initiated.
  • 1. The title of the volume is written at the top of the claim/replacement streamer and the date of the initial replacement is noted.
  • 2. The streamer accompanies incomplete volumes to the Bindery.
• 2.14.2 Replacement requests will be made by CPRR and area library staff on Form 55, then forwarded, along with the address of the publisher, to the Claims Clerk.
• 2.14.3 Replacements will be processed through domestic publishers within three months; domestic vendors up to four months; foreign publishers and vendors five months; publishers in India six months.
• 2.14.4 Replacement efforts are to be undertaken at the discretion of the Claims Clerk for periods generally not to exceed a period of one year for domestic publications; one and one half years for foreign.
• 2.14.5 If items needed to complete volumes are not in hand after the above-stated time periods, an area librarian may authorize a second replacement attempt or accumulations may be bound incomplete.
• 2.14.6 For binding purposes, no replacement effort will be made for paper copies of titles also received on microfilm.
• 2.15 Materials received after a volume is bound.
• 2.15.1 For items received after a volume is bound in-house, the Preservation Librarian will determine if in-house or commercial binding is appropriate in accordance with these general guidelines:
• 2.15.1.1 If additional pages (index, supplement, table of contents) appear for a volume that has already been bound:
  • 1. Items fewer than eight leaves (16 contiguous pages) in length will be treated in-house. They will be tipped into bound volumes.
  • 2. Single fold items (except for SPEC, REF and JOUR) will be treated in-house and separately from the bound volume. They will be sewn through the fold, covers included, into pamphlets.
  • 3. Items comprised of more than eight but fewer than 50 unattached pages will be sent for commercial binding separately from the already-bound volume. They will be side-sewn, covers included, into pamphlets.
  • 4. Items comprised of more than 50 unattached pages will be sent for commercial binding. They will be adhesive bound into separate volumes from the already-bound volumes.
• 2.15.2 When a completing item appears after a volume is bound incomplete, the decision to re-bind rests with the Preservation Librarian.
• 2.15.3 Under no circumstances will a volume be re-bound for the inclusion of an item which fails to render it complete. Such items should be bound separately with the method determined by the Preservation Librarian.
• 2.16 Retrospective Binding
• Circulating materials on the shelf five or more years will be treated according to the following guidelines:
• 2.16.1 Items identified as brittle will either be withdrawn or boxed per the decision of Reference or Branch librarians. (See 6.0)
• 2.16.2 Non-brittle materials of enduring value to the collections will be sent for commercial binding. Isolated issues that are single fold items, however, may be pamphlet-bound in-house.

4.0 REPLACEMENT PAGES

• Pages which are missing either from a bound or unbound (prior to binding) volume can be replaced by ordering them through Interlibrary loan. Interlibrary Loan staff will obtain copies through normal channels.
• 4.1 Area or branch librarians will decide if the missing pages need to be replaced–i.e., if they still have value to the collection.
• 4.1.1 Consideration should be given to the number of missing pages, the accessibility of the material and the cost of an interlibrary loan transaction.
• 4.1.2 If more than four leaves are missing, the volume will have to be re-bound. In this case consideration should be given to replacing the entire book or journal rather than just pages.
• 4.1.3 If a decision is made to replace them, the missing pages should be listed on Form 33 and sent along with the volume to Book Repair.
• 4.2 Book Repair unit will be responsible for forwarding all requests for replacement pages to interlibrary loan.
• 4.2.1 Frequently used material will be returned to the area of origin as soon as the request for missing pages is made to Interlibrary Loan. Other material will be charged to Book Repair until the pages are replaced.
• 4.2.2 If the number of replacement pages is significant, consideration will be given to binding them separately. This decision rests with the Preservation Librarian and Bindery Supervisor.
• 4.3 Requests for replacement pages for books are to be made on Form 173 and for periodicals on Form 174.
• 4.4 The pages, where possible, will be copied onto archival paper and should be double-sided (with text aligned on front and back). Adequate margins must be present.

5.0 BRITTLE BOOKS

• Not all unbound materials entering the collections are new or have paper strong enough for commercial binding. The Libraries' collections also contain thousands of brittle books.
• 5.1 In the case of items suspected of being brittle, the strength of the paper should be tested on page 100 by folding the less conspicuous lower corner back and forth three times then giving it a light tug. (Pages 50, 25 or 10 may also be used, depending on the volume's length.) If the paper breaks before the third fold or when the corner is tugged, the item is too brittle for binding and should be boxed, mircofilmed, replaced or withdrawn.
• 5.2 Area library staff should wrap brittle volumes found in the collections in GripTites and return them to the shelves in their respective areas.

6.0 ALTERNATIVES TO BINDING

• 6.1 Protective Enclosures
• Materials that cannot be (re-)bound can be placed in a protective case. This is advisable for such categories as those having value as artifacts; those which have become deteriorated and still have value to the collection; those which are not bindable yet still have value to the collection; and, those materials not important enough for more extensive preservation.

7.0 INTER-DEPARTMENTAL ORDER BINDING

• Effective January 1, 1990, all MU campus departments, with the exception of Physics and Chemistry, will be responsible for their own inter-departmental binding.
• 7.1 Processing instructions may be obtained from Bindery staff.

8.0 RUSH BINDING

• Since rush binding involves an upcharge by the commercial binder, this service is not appropriate for routine requests.

Sponsored by Regina Sinclair, Preservation Librarian, and the Binding Policy Task Force

Approved by Library Council: September 20, 1990

Approved by Director of Libraries: September 20, 1990