Make sure all materials used are made for books.
All glue, tape, and replacement paper must be acid free.
Even the water you use to clean paint brushes should come from the water filter, so the pH is balanced.
Use caution with sharp tools while you're working and cut away from yourself whenever possible.
In mending, it often gets worse before it gets better.Â
Sometimes you'll need to peel off loose parts that you'll eventually tape over.
Sometimes a barely-together book needs to be taken apart before it can be reassembled.
If you need extra guidance, it's perfectly fine to seek help.
Feel free to ask a full-time staff member if you're stuck.
Lots of online resources are available to provide extra guidance on mending. Some of these include:
Spine Repair Tape
Rougher in texture; harder to rip; various colors
Goes on the outside of books
Page Mending Tape
Filmoplast is the most popular brand
Comes in a box
Paper Hinge Tape
Smooth tape; easy to rip; white in color
Goes inside books, when damage is slight to moderate
Fabric Hinge Tape
Cloth texture; seam running up the middle; white in color
Joins cover to spine when it's completely disconnected
Glue
Should have a neutral pH label
May need to be diluted with filtered water
Un-Du
For de-gunking library materials
Note the "Acid Free" label
Large Scraper Tool
Small Scraper Tool
Cover Corner Reinforcements
Repair Wings
X-Acto Knife
Bone Folder