Preservation

PRESERconVersATION

A PRESERconVersATION Trivia Quiz

So! How much do you remember from PRESERconVersATION?

  1. Damaged books love shrink wrapping. True or false?
    Answer: True! Shrink wrapping encloses damaged books in a plastic wrap that prevents them losing broken pieces and provides them with support.
  2. Animal glues, Blu-Tack, rubber cement, Clag and PVA are not recommended for gluing your important papers. True or false?
    Answer: It's true of course!! They may stain, go brittle and yellow and are very difficult to remove. There are alternatives such as rice or wheat starch pastes or non adhesive options such as polyethylene sleeves.
  3. What should you do if you find a damaged library materials?
    (a) Ignore it.
    (b) Fix it yourself.
    (c) Report damage to library staff.
    (d) Tell a friend. Answer: It's (c)! Damaged material should be reported to library staff. They will make sure the best care is taken to have it fixed.
  4. What is the worst thing about photo albums with magnetic 'sticky' pages.
    (a) The plastic cover that covers the photos?
    (b) The way the adhesive yellows?
    (c) The way the some photos become stuck forever?
    (d) The way some photos just fall out after a few years?
    Answer: All of the above! Don't let us catch you using these albums!! You can safely use albums with slip-in type polyethylene sleeves.
  5. Methuselah the master negative lives in cold storage because......
    (a) he has no choice?
    (b) he has to last for several hundred years?
    (c) he has a refrigerator fetish?
    (d) he is the preservation master, responsible for preserving his information for as long as possible?
    Answer: A little bit of (a) and (b), but mainly (d). The master negative is the item held in permanent cold storage and not used to preserve the information. So he has to last as long as possible.
  6. Presrevation staff define a half binding as:
    (a) A job we've forgotten to finish.
    (b) A book with only one cover.
    (c) A book with reinforced corners and spine.
    (d) A book that wasn't completed by 5.00pm (knock off time).
    Answer: It could be all of these but it's actually (c). Half bound books use a strong material to cover corners and spines which are most subject to wear and a cheaper material to cover the rest.
  7. What was the last thing Noah put on his ark?
    (a) His scrabble board?
    (b) The movie script he'd been writing at nights called "Water World"?
    (c) His important family documents and photos?
    (d) The profits made from his "Ararat or Bust" t-shirt concession?
    Answer: (c). Important documents, photos and other paper based momentos should be well packed, protected and cared for during any house moves.
  8. The three Aubusson tapestries on permanent display in the Library's foyer are frozen to -20C in a blast freezer for one week each year. True or false?
    Answer: True! Preservation Services staff pack and freeze the Aubusson tapestries once per year, at peak insect breeding time, to prevent insect infestation and resulting damage.
  9. Why was Harry the heavily used handbook identified as a candidate for immediate microfilming?
    (a) He believed in reincarnation?
    (b) He was in the right place at the right time?
    (c) If he was requested once more he'd fall apart?
    (d) He had a crush on Deirdre, the Microfilming officer?
    Answer: (c) he was very popular and heavily requested, but he was falling apart. (He did have a little bit of a crush on Dee).
  10. Following Preservation treatment, the Pictorial glass negative collection is housed in the.....
    (a) The Pictorial section?
    (b) The Bistro (in their refrigerator)?
    (c) The LG1 tape cold store?
    (d) The LG2 cold store?
    Answer: The preserved glass neg collection is housed in acid free non-buffered paper in acid free high quality boxes in the LG2 cold store (and is very happy).
  11. The orderly from "Bookward" stumbled, bumbled, grumbled, mumbled or fumbled?
    Answer: He did all of these things but mostly he grumbled.
  12. The LG2 cold store temperature is maintained at .....
    (a) the same as Anchorage Alaska?
    (b) 8C?
    (c) that of the Mawson Base in Antarctica?
    (d) average igloo levels?
    Answer: You got it! The cold store is maintained at 8C and 35% Relative Humidity all year round.
  13. What is the most common source of book damage encountered by Book Ward staff?
    (a) Heavy use?
    (b) Overloaded trolleys?
    (c) Photocopying?
    (d) Water leaks?
    Answer: If you said (c) go to the top of the class. Crushing down books on photocopiers like Orville the elephant does can break their spines. But if you said (a) (b) or (d) you wouldn't be wrong either.
  14. Sticky tape is very handy for.....
    (a) mending library collection material?
    (b) leaving notes on milk bottles?
    (c) wrapping gifts?
    (d) driving conservators nuts.
    Answer: If you picked (a) shame on you! Shame, shame, shame!!

Norman would like to thank Kim Morris, Deb Woodyard, Chesley Engram, Kate Eccles-Smith, Brian Hawke, Lawrie Salter, Deirdre Burgess, Bronwyn Hughes and Alex Philp, Jane Taylor and Margaret Davey who all helped make PRESERconVersATION possible over the last twelve months.

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