Anne and Lisa doing a book profile

Most structural damage of a book occurs at the spine (damage to the sewing, board attachments and at the joints). The text block of the book can also drop; therefore, supports are required when a book is on display.

The supports we use are shaped Perspex with no angle, or if just the cover is required a lectern is used at a specific angle. The u-shaped cradle gives full support to the book.

Once the curator has chosen the page opening and after judging what degree the book can be opened without damage occurring, the book is measured. It is a two man job as you can see from the photograph of me and a V&A book conservator Anne, who is drawing the profile onto a sheet of melinex® . The measurements are transferred into a simple diagram format for our trusty V&A technician, Jenean, to produce the cradle.

When the opening is not near the centre of the book, polythene strapping may be required to help the pages remain open. This is attached when the book is being installed at the venue.