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Full Text (PDF) - Mississippi Library Association

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PAGE 56 VOL. 75, NO. 2 • SUMMER 2012 MISSISSIPPI LIBRARIESjob backer, nipping press, press boards, anda sewing frame. Preservation Technologies,in Cranberry Township, PA, provided adeacidification spray system. Bill Minterprovided the ultrasonic welder, which wasdelivered from Woodbury, PA. The ultrasonicwelder took about six months fordelivery, but it has already seen steady usesince it was installed in March 2011. Twoother important pieces of equipment werepurchased from Museum Services Corporationin St. Paul, MN: the manuscript suctiondevice with vacuum pump and thepaper conservation table with humidificationdome, which have both proven usefulwhile working with archival materials.One final piece of equipment will bedelivered in June 2011 which will help putdamaged books back in the hands ofpatrons. A board slotting machine designedby Jeff Peachey from New York, NY, willallow conservation staff to efficiently reattachbook covers. During previousdecades of collecting, the libraries’ SpecialCollections Department often purchaseddamaged volumes due to limited fundingfor acquisitions. These volumes are animportant part of the collection, althoughaccess is limited due to the condition.Repairing these volumes is a high priorityfor the conservation lab.The ability to purchase equipment forthe conservation lab was made possible by agenerous donation to support preservationactivities at the University of MiamiLibraries. Without funding, this wouldhave been a lovely space filled with secondhand furniture and a few book presses.Conservation work does not need an extensivelist of equipment; a couple of dedicatedstaff with appropriate training and a fewhand tools can produce incredible work.However, having this additional equipmentwill allow the conservation staff to offer awider variety of treatments to support thecollections.OPEN FOR BUSINESSIn March 2011, the UM Libraries’ conservationlab began accepting materials fortreatment. The conservation technicianmoved from her cubical in Technical Servicesto a work station in the lab. She performsconservation treatments with theassistance of two University of Miami studentworkers. The first major project toenter the queue was the Antonio FernandezReboiro collection of silk screen theaterposters housed in the libraries’ Cuban HeritageCollection. This collection of 91 itemsis being repaired, deacidified, and encapsulatedto improve access and reduce the riskof damage.Room 136 filled with equipment and workstations.CONCLUSIONLocating and repurposing space in alibrary can be a challenging endeavor withmany obstacles. Detailed planning is essential,although it is a luxury in some cases. Attimes, action must be taken when an opportunitypresents itself. Most conservationlabs spend years in the planning stage, so totransform a storage space into a functioninglab in one year is quite an accomplishment.The newly constructed conservation labwill play a large role in helping the librariesmeet the goals of the strategic plan to supportstudent education and provideimproved access to special collections materials.What began as an underutilized spacehas fulfilled the vision and can now bringnew life to the University of MiamiLibraries’ exciting collections. If You Build It, They Will Come:Development of a <strong>Library</strong> Teen RoomCasey HughesAdministrative AssistantNatchez Adams Wilkinson <strong>Library</strong> Servicechughes@naw.lib.ms.usSusan CassagneDirectorNatchez Adams Wilkinson <strong>Library</strong> Servicescassagne@naw.lib.ms.usMarianne RaleyReference Librarian &Youth Services CoordinatorNatchez Adams Wilkinson <strong>Library</strong> Servicemraley@naw.lib.ms.usABSTRACTThis article describes the creation of theTeen Zone in the Judge George Armstrong<strong>Library</strong> in Natchez. The article will explorehow the idea evolved, how funding wasobtained, the process of designing the layoutwith contents that would appeal toteens, and how it was publicized.INTRODUCTION“If we build it, they will come” was thegoal of our project to create a teen room forthe Judge George Armstrong <strong>Library</strong> inNatchez. We wanted to design a room thatwould be an inviting, fun, and safe place forthe teens/young adults in our community.In addition to housing the young adult collection,the room would offer an area forgaming, internet, crafts, and other attractiveactivities.HISTORY AND BACKGROUNDIt took us a while to get to this point. In2003, the Armstrong <strong>Library</strong> did not evenhave a young adult collection. That year wehired a new reference librarian who, as itturns out, had experience as a teen librarianin her prior position. She was given the goaheadto begin developing a young adultcollection. It started as one shelf in the backcorner of the nonfiction area, which weoptimistically called the Teen Zone which

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