Can we talk about using PVA glue for spine repairs on old library books?

I was at the Denver Public Library repair station last Saturday and saw a volunteer slathering PVA on a 1920s novel spine. I mean, I get that PVA dries fast and is cheap, but for older paper it just makes things brittle over time. I pulled them aside and showed how a rice starch paste works better for reversibility and long term flexibility. Has anyone else had to argue with a shop about switching away from PVA?

2 comments

2 Comments

mila_reed22h ago

That volunteer was probably just following whatever the head librarian told them to use. Denver's shop has been using PVA since the 90s because it's what they know. I've seen books from their collection with spines cracking after 5 years from that stuff getting too stiff. Rice starch paste takes longer to prep but it actually stays flexible and doesn't wreck the paper fibers long term. Had to show a guy at the Boulder branch the difference with a test strip once, he switched after that.

verac4016h ago

Wait, the Denver shop has been using PVA since the 90s? That's kind of wild to think they've stuck with it that long even though it's known to cause cracking. @mila_reed I had a similar moment when I showed a conservator at a workshop how their old PVA repairs were failing after a few years, and they were genuinely shocked. Rice starch is way more forgiving on old paper, and it's not even that hard to make once you get the hang of it.