Caring for a collection the size of the Yale Library system, with 15 million books and countless objects, may seem an overwhelming task. Yet the staff at the Library Center for Preservation and Conservation deftly take on this mission one item at a time.
On a recent afternoon at the sprawling center at 344 Winchester Avenue, Preventive Conservation Technician Dong Dong and Conservation Housing Technician Meagan Timmins were working to preserve fragile and unusual large and small books and objects. They specialize in creating housings in the form of sturdy, made-to-fit boxes used to conserve all types of treasures. These enclosures help mitigate the effects of time and use while providing safe access for future study.
Inside their workroom is a queue of items, including musical instruments, textiles, ceramics, small eighteenth-century children’s books, and large fifteenth-century ecclesiastical books, to name just a few. Their tools of the trade include micro spatulas, knives, brushes, measuring devices, and one large box-making machine—the Kasemake Mini Grand PRO. Nicknamed the “Minnie,” it quickly cuts and creases corrugated boxboard, foam board, and other materials, creating custom-made archival boxes of varying sizes and shapes.
