The development of a standard test method for the wear resistance of library buckrams

During the early 1980s, a serious problem arose with the buckram used to bind our journals and books. The problem was brought to light by our readers, who complained that they were unable to read the lettering on recently bound journals, in particular in the relatively dim lighting of the bookstacks. This problem appeared to be particularly acute with blue, orange and purple fabrics and in essence, the fabrics appeared to be extremely “fuzzy”, to the extent that the blocked lettering had become almost completely obscured. Volumes bound prior to 1980 were, however, perfectly legible, despite their greater age and wear. It was thus clear that a serious problem had occurred with the quality of the library buckrams used on our journals. Furthermore, our binders confirmed that they had not changed suppliers, so the problem must lie with the manufacturers of this fabric, specified as a top grade library buckram.