Giving Back & Saving Books: A Volunteer's Story

Dr. Stewart learned the delicate and detailed craft of book repair from retired University Libraries’ book conservator Virginia Wisniewski who taught a class for Library Guild members. The students met one evening a week for 10 weeks with the understanding that they would give back 10 hours of volunteer service to the library. That was 10 years ago and Dr. Stewart has been volunteering ever since.

“I used the library a lot as a professor and feel it’s important to give back,” said Dr. Stewart when asked why he’s still volunteering after 10 years. “Books were what I worked with as a scholar. I like them and got pretty good at repairing them.”

“Pretty good” is an understatement when one looks at some of the books Dr. Stewart has repaired. One recently saved book is the 1894 History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. When it arrived, both covers were off and much of the spine was missing. An earlier attempt at holding the book together had been made using several layers of newspaper affixed with adhesive and clear tape, which Dr. Stewart painstakingly picked off layer by layer. He then chemically treated the leather to stop the rot and allow for additional adhesive. After mending the book with Japanese paper tinted to match the original, he spread the spine and covers with book wax, which polishes and protects the surface. The result is a beautiful book whose appearance is close to the original and sturdy enough to again be read by scholars.

Dr. Stewart works on several books at a time since repairing a single book can take anywhere from a few hours to two or three weeks for the more complex repairs. The extreme detail that goes into repairing and preserving books is one of the things Dr. Stewart likes best about the work. “You have to worry about the details. Issues such as how the fibers run in the paper, the weight of the binding, the color and material of the spine are all things that must be considered while working on a book.” Dr. Stewart said he also likes working with the various preservation materials and enjoys the opportunity to learn new skills. Currently, he’s teaching himself to sew an end band, the cord found at the top and bottom of the spines of some books.

In the 10 years in which Keith Stewart has volunteered at University Libraries he has repaired many books and given countless library users the opportunity to access materials that may have otherwise been lost. His dedication to books and to the work of repairing them is an inspiration.

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