Book Conservation at Max Communications

Our book conservation service includes:

• Initial assessments of material and creation of bespoke condition reports and treatment plans.
• Advice on storage and planning for further long term preservation.
• Cleaning of surface dirt.
• Essential stabilisation work including tear repairs, stabilising damaged spines, rehinging on loose or detached boards etc.
• Creation of bespoke folders and boxes for storage.
• We can also offer on site book and library cleaning services.

Book conservation focuses on the conservation of a wide variety of bound materials, usually where a collection of folded pages have been collated together and sewn and/or adhered together down the spine and encased in covers.

The goal in this context is to preserve and stabilise as much of the original material as possible but also to maintain core professional ethics, specifically, minimal intervention and reversibility/re-treatability. Sympathetic and appropriate materials are always used, including easily reversible adhesives or the thinnest possible Japanese repair tissues ensuring text remains visible.

Conservation in this context is therefore different to restoration. Restoration aims to restore an item to as close as possible to its original state whilst hiding the fact that it has had this work applied to it whilst conservation, as stated is based on preservation and stabilisation of materials.

Max provide a full range of conservation and storage services. For details please visit our conservation and storage page. We also offer comprehensive digitisation, digital preservation, archive management and digitisation project management solutions.