CHAPTER VIII
PREPARING FOR THE BINDERY
To decide properly what books should be rebound and how they should be rebound is not a simple matter nor one which should be left to an inexperienced or uneducated assistant. In addition to a good working knowledge of materials and processes the assistant in charge of this work should have a general knowledge of books—paper, editions, prices, literary value, timeliness, etc.—and good judgment in deciding whether a book should be bound or whether it should be mended, recased, wrapped in paper, recovered, or thrown away. The binding, therefore, should be in the hands of an assistant who understands the demands of this department of library service, and for economy's sake as well as for the sake of efficiency it should not be shifted from one person to another.
Mr. Dana has shown in his "Notes on bookbinding for libraries" how essential it is that binding assistants should know books. Credit for much of what here appears in support of that viewpoint is due him and is herewith acknowledged.
In considering the binding of fiction and juvenile books the following are some of the questions which the binding assistant must ask and decide before determining whether a book is to go to the shelves in a new dress, or to the junk-man as waste paper:
(a) Is the book in such poor condition that it cannot be rebound or recased? If so, it must be discarded. While this decision is generally easy to make, it is sometimes made difficult by books which are in too good condition to throw away and in too poor condition to rebind. In such cases the decision must depend on the popularity of the book. If very popular, it may be wise to rebind it, for it must be remembered that good library binders can accomplish wonders with books that are in poor condition.
Sometimes the question arises whether the book is in poor enough condition to need rebinding. Perhaps it will survive a few more issues just as it stands. If the book is a trifle shaky in its covers, the decision should be to rebind. The binder can do a better job at this time than he can when the book becomes more worn, and the life of the book will be prolonged by prompt binding. If the assistant decides not to rebind it, the book will be issued only a few more times before it will have to be withdrawn from circulation and sent to the repair room again. The result is a greater loss of time with no actual gain in wear.
(b) Is the book much read? If it is an old one that is evidently popular, it is reasonable to suppose that it is the policy of the library to supply the demand for this book, and the book will be rebound as a matter of course. A decision about new books which are popular is harder to make because it is fair to ask:
(c) Is the demand falling off? It is here that the assistant must show good judgment. It may be that the book can be rebound easily with profit, if there is a sufficient demand to keep all the copies in circulation. It may be that the book is waning in popularity and that other copies in the library are ample to supply present demands. If they are, the copy in hand should be canceled, since the cost of binding will then be saved. But the assistant should ascertain the condition of the remaining copies. Let us take the case of a novel which has been withdrawn from circulation because it needs rebinding. The assistant looks at the record of circulation on the book card or pocket and discovers that last year the book was issued four times a month, while now it is issued only twice a month. He finds also that there are four other copies. These four copies should be sufficient to meet present demands, and the book in hand may be withdrawn. But suppose that further investigation shows that two of the four copies are in very poor condition and cannot be rebound. If he withdraws the one in hand, only two good copies will remain, and perhaps these are not sufficient to supply the demand. On the other hand, it is possible that they are sufficient to supply the demand. In any event, the situation is one which requires a knowledge of the book itself, its popularity with the public, and general good judgment. The question may be summed up in this way: