Preserving Useful Knowledge

Download or read book Preserving Useful Knowledge written by Renee Wolcott and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2022 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book traces the history of collections care at the American Philosophical Society (APS) as revealed through its minute books, treasurers’ receipts, and librarians’ correspondence. It also examines the physical evidence presented by books and documents that were repaired by former restorers and conservators, including Library of Congress manuscript restorer William Berwick, book and manuscript restorer Carol Rugh (later Caorlyn Horton), and the Society’s first full-time conservator, Willman Spawn. Their painstaking repairs, which have not always aged well, present both a vital historical record and an ongoing challenge for today’s conservators. Illus.