Stiffening

The paperback has been around since 1841. The first Penguin series began
in 1935. Libraries have added thousands of paperbacks to their
collections, but have also been faced with the problem of how to extend the
life of paperbacks, which were never intended for long-term use.
 
In 1974, John Dean, then Head of Preservation at the Eisenhower
Library, created a process called stiffening, which strengthens
significantly the binding of paperbacks. Still in use today, the
process is low-cost, does not require extensive equipment, and yet retains
the original cover and spine information. Stiffening refers to the
reinforcement of the original publisher's covers and front and back
joints. The primary structure of the book is unaltered by this treatment,
and the reinforcement enables the volume to hold up longer under heavy
use.
 
Stiffening Process Materials:

• Tyvek tape
• Acid-free, Lignin-free .040 weight board
• PVA adhesive

Equipment:
 

• Scissors
• Gluing machine (preferable for high productivity)
• Bone folder
• Sheets of rigid plastic
• Heavy-duty hand paper cutter or electric guillotine 
• Work is performed most efficiently when each step is done on a batch of
  books and materials are pre-cut to a number of common sizes.

Tyvek tape is placed in the hinges of the books and is trimmed. The
books are sorted according to their sizes. A lignin-free board of
corresponding size (board is ordered pre-cut to six different sizes) is
fed through the rollers of the gluing machine, which contains the
PVA adhesive. The glued side of the board is placed inside of the book's
front cover glued side up about .5 cm from the joint. The board is held
in position while the book cover is closed over it. A bone folder is
used to smooth the book cover onto the board's glued surface and to
crease the outside joint. This process is repeated on the back
cover. The book is then placed between plastic sheets stacked atop
stiffened books of like size, weighted down, and left to dry. Once
the books have dried, the excess board is trimmed from the books
using an electric guillotine or hand-operated paper cutter. Any
information that needs to be saved on the inside of the book covers is
photocopied prior to stiffening and tipped into the book. Pockets are
made for loose maps or materials that are included with some of the
books and are placed inside the book's back cover after the book has
been stiffened. The end result of the stiffening process is a book
that has a longer shelf life, that stands up on the shelf, and that can
withstand high patron usage.