Library & Student Services

To bind or not to bind? Library behind the scenes

During the summer we start a number of our behind the scenes projects that we don’t always have the time to do during busy term time. One of these jobs is journal binding…
Journals

During the summer we start a number of our behind the scenes projects that we don't always have the time to do during busy term time. One of these jobs is journal binding......

Journal binding may sound like a simple job, put journals in box - send them to the binders. However there's more to it than meets the eye.

Journals

Firstly we have to decide what we need to get bound. To do this we consider a number of things:

  • Is the journal a very old edition?
  • Is the journal well used and prone to damage?
  • Is the journal on lots of reading lists?
Journals

Once we have agreed on the journals to be bound they are collected from the rolling stacks. Notes are made of missing issues, either to make a search for later or to identify where volumes are incomplete. The issues are made into bundles identifying what can be bound into one book.

When a journal is being bound for the first time the team get to use their artistic licence, choosing what colour the fabric of the volume is going to be!

When the journals return from our Leeds-based binders, Hollingworth and Moss, the team has to check that they have been bound correctly and the title details are accurate. Each individually bound volume gets a new barcode and security tags and then we add them to the catalogue, ready to be found by our users!