LIBRARY BINDING SERVICES

The Binding Preparation Division (BPD) is the interface unit between the UC Berkeley Library and the UC Bindery, responsible for receiving, tracking, processing, and shipping all binding material to and from the UC Berkeley Library and the Northern Bindery, which handles the binding needs of the four UC campuses in northern California. A similar facility, located in Culver City, binds material from the five UC campuses in southern California.

An average of 80,000 books and serials a year are processed through BPD to the Bindery, where they are bound or otherwise protected and then returned to BPD and distributed back into the Library system. The unit is usually staffed by 2 full-time employees and 4 student library employees.

The Northern Bindery offers a variety of binding styles and protective containers; most material processed for the UC Berkeley Library falls into one of the following classifications:

1. Pam Bind: used for pamphlets (text less than 1/2" thick), stapled into a binder with a high-density back board, a spine covered with acrylic-coated cloth, and a front cover of clear polyester.

2. Mylar: used for most paperbacks (text 1/2-2" thick). The covers are removed, laminated with Mylar and backed with binders board; the textblock is adhesive bound, if necessary, then encased by the laminated original cover.

3. LC-Bind: (text 1/2-2" thick ) used for paperbacks without covers and serials that will receive limited circulation ("LC"). Leaves are adhesive-bound, the spine is reinforced with buckram. The buckram is stamped with title and call# information. The covers are high-density blue binders board, coated with acrylic for additional protection.

4. Buckram: (text 3/8" thick and up) is reserved for volumes that need maximum protection, either because the volume is too thick or heavy for other types of binding, or because it receives heavy usage. Pages are oversewn, sewn through the fold, or adhesive bound. Volumes are rounded and backed. Covers are made with acrylic-coated buckram.

5. Kasemake Box: protective container used for books or documents that for reasons of fragility or artifactual value, or the need to keep its several parts together, cannot or should not be bound. These boxes are fabricated from archival board from specifications provided by the Preservation Department.

RELATED LINKS:

Berkeley Processing Manual (BPM)

Library Binding Manual

INNOPAC Binding Manual

STAFF:

, Unit Head

, Binding Preparation Assistant

phone: (510) 642-8140

LOCATION:

209 Moffitt Library
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000

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