Greetings!
Many times we find books that need some repair. I have found that most of the repairs just need a little glue. I will demo a few basic gluing repairs and hope that you will be inspired to do some of these yourselves.

I recommend buying glue for book repair rather than trying to use something like Elmer’s glue. It just does a better job and lasts quite a long time. Check with a library supply for book glue. I buy it in a large size and decant it into a small Ziploc plastic container. The glue doesn’t stick to the container and if it does dry on the sides, it peels right off. If you keep the container closed, it will not dry out for a long time.




When the text part comes away from the cover of a paperback book, it is an easy fix. Just take a paintbrush and paint the glue along the back of the spine.



Then press it firmly back in place and hold it in place with rubber bands.





I also stack the books as I repair them using boards and a weight. The boards I use are from a piece of smooth plywood that I had cut into pieces (9” x 12”) at Home Depot. They cut the boards for free, so my cost was the sheet of plywood and two bricks. I think I paid less than $5.00 for all of it. I wrapped the two bricks in butcher paper and duct tape to keep them from scratching the books.





At this point, if I have more books to repair, I will take the first books from the bottom and set them aside. All they need now is to dry. I usually let them dry overnight, but if you are in a hurry, it should be OK in a couple of hours. I just warn others to be gentle with it for a while.

Sometimes we have an area that needs to be glued, but we just can’t get a paintbrush in the area. This next book needs to be glued along the edge next to the spine. Here’s a trick I learned. Dip a knitting needle in the glue and insert it into the area that needs to be glued. You may need to dip a few times, but the area will be glued, and the glue on the needle will wash off easily.





Set aside either with rubber bands or under a weight to dry. This particular book also needs more work on the upper and lower spine. When the book is dry, I will use repair wings and repair corners to reinforce the spine and corners.

The supplies I used today were from Highsmith library supply and other sources. Book-Saver Liquid Plastic repair hinge is available in three sizes: 8-oz, quart, and gallon; Ziploc container from my house, and knitting needle, rubber bands, and paintbrush from any craft store. Boards and bricks were from Home Depot. Highsmith also has a book care and repair guide for under $10.00 which will guide you through basic repairs.

I hope this has been helpful to you. I know when I see something it makes much more sense. Have a great week.

Audrey