Celebrate preservation awareness week by hosting a build-your-own-book-weight workshop!
Book weights are filled fabric pouches that gently hold your books open while they’re in use to avoid breaking the spines and free up your hands. Sure, you can buy them, but you can also make them. And if you do, you can customize them for your specific use. Sizes, shapes, fabrics, and fills are all up to you. Felt for fun. Unbleached muslin for special collections. Buckram for general collections (or your cookbooks – library book cloth is water resistant for up to 10 minutes and oil resistant for up to 5!)
Once you’ve decided on fabric and size, sew up your weight, leaving one side open to fill. Folding a single piece of cloth that is twice the width or length you want means you only need to sew two sides instead of three.
If you want to hide your seams, flip your sewn weight to the other side using the knitting needles or Plexiglas rods to help you.
Fill your snake using the undyed aquarium gravel. (A funnel will help.)
The amount you use will depend on how flexible or rigid, light or heavy you want the weight to be, but you definitely don’t want it to weigh so much it harms the book, just enough to gently coax it open. Sew the remaining side closed.
Amanda Brent, Processing Coordinator, decorating the book snake.
Enjoy your new book weight!
For more information:
www.ala.org/alcts/preservationweek
Also, check out the instagram page for Mason’s preservation lab!
