Book Supports
The Conservation Bookmate™ Companion Set Folding Book Support Designed by Ralph Selby and Stuart Welch exclusively for Conservation by Design. The Bookmate™ is made from high density Plastazote® foam which is very light, rigid and strong. Plastazote® is made from Nitrogen expanded Polyethylene and as such is an inert material which neither degrades under the influence of UV light nor emits toxic fumes in a fire. It also has very good fold strength which is of great importance for this product which is designed to fold flat for easy storage. Although lightweight the Conservation Bookmate™ is very stable and is strong enough to support large and heavy volumes. The Conservation Bookmate™ incorporates two softer Plastazote® pads giving a gentle surface for delicate and uneven covers that may incorporate metal bosses or side pins. Separate pads can be ordered particularly for use with thick volumes, these pads can be used to support the book board and lighter side of the text block as the reader turns the pages. The design has two front lips to stop the book sliding forward. Also incorporated is a space for hollow back and inflexible book spines. Support strips for tight back bindings can also be supplied. The complete Companion Set comes with a pair of 900 mm weighted snakes and a special double book cushion with washable cover that can be used in conjunction with the Conservation Bookmate™ when reading small tight back volumes. Many conventional reading supports tilt the book at too steep an angle which puts strain on the volume and can result in damage to the book. The Conservation Bookmate™ has an angle of tilt set at 20° which allows the book to be read in comfort with a minimum of stress to the binding structure. The Conservation Bookmate™ is durable and easy to clean. It can be washed if needed with cold soapy water to remove leather red rot or other contamination. Registered Design No: 2050129. U.K. Patent No: 2 306 104; U.S. Patent No: 5,829,729. Bookmark Strip Clear inert polyester strips, which unobtrusively hold books open for display or binding. Lead Weights Lead shot filled soft black leather weights for holding down awkward items such as scrolls, deeds, plans and items on display. Book Support Bags and Cushion Covers A Society of Archivists Award Winner. Proportioned to provide just the right degree of protective support for books, seals and other fragile ephemeral material on display. Neutral colour for maximum visual appeal. Machine washable, unbleached, calico, pillow-case style, cushion covers are available to extend the life of the Book Support Bags and to keep them clean. To preserve the quality of the cushion covers cool wash and do not tumble dry. Clarkson Book Support System Book Support System designed by Christopher Clarkson to cater for books with a wide variety of structural variations. The system is used in institutions throughout the world. The book support is built up from lightweight units of synthetic foam. Synthetic foam allows a book’s uneven board surfaces, even with bosses and side pins, to be equally supported over their entire exterior surface. The particular density of foam was chosen for the important non-slip characteristic required and the grey colour was found preferable for a library environment. The concept of related units has dictated the use of generalised angles and dimensions in the design. Simplicity and ease of storage (impossible to achieve with combined tilt-and-wedge designs) are special features of the style. The units consist of three basic shapes in various format sizes: - Blunt Wedge A pair of wedges, plus one of the next larger format size for each regular ‘place-setting’
- Spine Support-Strip Used when ‘tight-back’ (flexible) bindings are read
- Rectangular Pad 25mm (1”) thick. Two pads would be the normal requirement for each ‘place-setting’, three may be needed for a very thick book
Six units are required for each placement set. Besides the synthetic foam units, one other piece of equipment is needed; a ‘snake’, a strap of weighted fabric which is used to hold the book open, two being required for each ‘place setting’. The book supports are available as 6 piece sets for each of the three sizes: Large, Medium and Small. The larger wedges can also be used by themselves to display single sheet items at a reasonable reading angle.
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