Reasons for deterioration of adhesive bound books: Collection condition survey in the Keio university library

Purpose: In the preservation of library materials, paper has always been a focal topic, and various efforts for preservation have been based on paper. Recently, however, a new approach to condition survey has been adopted, which takes the binding into account; nevertheless, there has not been sufficient consideration of the condition of adhesive bound books and the adhesive itself. Condition survey is indispensable for drawing up a strategic preservation plan. The present survey aims to reveal (1) the proportion of adhesive bound books in a university library collection, which mainly consists of academic works; (2) various aspects of their condition; and (3) reasons for deterioration. Methods: A checklist was drawn up based on a previous survey by the National Diet Library with modifications. The survey was conducted at the Mita Media Center (Keio University Library), a large, open-stack library. Samples were selected from Japanese books including Chinese and Korean books and Western books acquired after 1962. From every ten years from the 1960s to the 2000s, 400 books were selected by Drott's random sampling method: 4,000 samples in total. Six investigators examined them according to the checklist. Results: The results reveal that the proportion of adhesive bound books has consistently increased in both Japanese and Western books, regardless of whether they are hardback or paperback. In the case of Western books adhesive binding started to be used earlier, but the ratio of use has risen more gently. The current ratio is higher in Japanese books: 75.3% of all books and 94.8% of paperbacks. Deterioration of the spine, which is typical of adhesive binding, is more commonly found in Japanese books, but both Japanese and Western books published in the 2000s show such deterioration. Analysis shows that the frequency of circulation is the main factor in the deterioration.