It's everywhere. In books from public libraries to academic institutions. It's in your used textbooks. You may have even put some in your own text books or children's books. Cellophane tape -- that clear tape that allows you to stop that rip but see through to the text below.
After all, nothing can be worse than a torn page, except one that evolves into a larger and larger rip. Why not mend it now with that ubiquitous clear adhesive tape? It's in your desk, in your drawer at home, in every grocery, drug and convenience store. It's practically a cure-all for paper.
In a recent preservation class at UIUC, a gasp filled the room as one student admitted to using cellophane tape before being enlightened by the course (of which cellophane tape has its 20 seconds of fame, a mere mention in the vastness of preservation). Come now, fess up, we've all done it -- well meaning, yet ill-advised beginners in book preservation and we can understand why others would tape their pages too.
What's the big deal about cellophane tape? It's not only terrible for the paper (it's acidic and causes pages to break down, it creates a ridge where a new rip can -- and usually does -- form, it yellows and the cellophane falls off leaving a sticky residue, etc.). But it's more than that.
Cellophane tape is the representation of how little is known about preservation in the wider community. Even many libraries use tape to repair tears. It shows how far we need to go in educating others about preservation -- not only in people's individual collections, but in libraries and archives.
I don't want to admonish current and previous cellophane tape users. They've (we've) all meant well, so let's admit we've all done it, but now that we know more, we can move on to other forms of repair.
Please share your tape stories or pictures below.
Additional Reading
NYU Library on Scotch Tape
Stamps & Scotch Tape
Penn State Special Collections Library: Rare Books & Manuscripts: FAQs on Preservation
Cons Dist List Post on "Preservation" Scotch Tape
Images from Getty Images. Image #BU006989
6 comments:
what about "book tape"? is there some acid-free tape that can be used, or do you just let the tear be?
yes, I too am curious about what to use to repair tears in books...I know next to nothing about preservation.
Indeed there is acid-free tape that can be used! It's usually called "Document Repair Tape," and both the tape and adhesive are acid-free. It is also non-yellowing.
If you'd like more information on repairing torn pages, see the Dartmouth College Library page on simple book repair
I work at the conservation lab on campus and I can tell you that scotch tape is one of the worst and most frustrating things to try to fix. And it completely ruins the paper.
Please please, mend carefully.
See if your campus has daylong introduction courses in conservation/preservation to get you acquainted with the correct procedures; I know UIUC does.
Japanese tissue paper is nice too!
Well, before we go off the deep end and start boycotting tape manufacturers, we need to ask ourselves a few questions about the item needing repair. Foremost is, "Does this item warrant the time and money involved in a high quality repair?" Japanese papers and wheat paste have their place, but a lot of libraries don't have it in their budgets. For that matter, most individuals don't either.
Filmoplast, or archival quality tape, is also expensive. If the item in question is expendable, it is hardly worth the money and effort involved to do a high-end repair.
So, we start with: Is this item expendable? If the answer is 'yes,' then 'cellphane tape' may be the answer to small rips and tears. If the answer is 'no,' then we need to ask ourselves more questions.
What importance does this item have in the collection? Do we need to keep it in perpetuity? Is it heavily used, or used very little? And so on.
I think you probably get the picture. "Regular ole' tape" works sometimes for some things. Knowing when to use it and when not to use it is the key. Just knowing that other options exist regarding the use of tape is a step in the right direction!
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