LIBRARY BINDERY IS READY TO MOVE

Plans are under way for transferring the Harvard University bindery to its new quarters in the "Crystal Palace", the southern extension of the Boylston Chemical Laboratory, during the Christmas vacation, at which time the Chemistry department will enter the new Mallinckrodt Chemical Laboratory.

Since 1920 the University has had its own bindery, located in the basement of Widener Library. From that time it has not only greatly increased the capacity of its main department, but has added many minor features. In the last few years the increase has been phenomenal, keeping pace with the growth of the Library and its demands, on the binding and repairing departments. The fact that certain books in constant use require rebinding many times during their life certifies as to the task constantly before the bindery.

A very important function of the bindery is the repair work. Thousands of books, which need only minor repairs, from a page to be pasted in to resewing in its old cover, are repaired here. Many cases are made to contain old books, too worn to be rebound, in order to preserve them in the best possible condition. Thousands of boxes containing unbound material on the shelves are also made in the College bindery.

Gather Books for China

In addition to the 9300 volumes rebound last year, 3900 pamphlets and 60 volumes of newspapers were bound. Included in these figures are those books intended for the Chinese Library, which are being gathered for the Harvard-yenching Chinese Institute, comprising 384 volumes, 281 pamphlets, and over 1000 portfolios, which were made over.

In regard to the binding of new books purchased abroad, these are bound in the country from which they are purchased, in the case of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. These foreign books are usually bound in leather, Within the last fifteen years leather has been replaced in the binding of books in America by buckram cloth, a library cloth in various colors, which is exceptionally long-wearing, and must come up to government standards, maintained by yearly tests.