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Ask a Conservator Day(opens in a new tab), celebrated this year on November 3, was founded by the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) in 2019. This annual event brings awareness to the field of conservation and preservation of cultural heritage. There are so many types of conservators: archeological, paintings, textiles, books, photographs, furniture… the list goes on.

At UCLA Library, the Preservation & Conservation Department currently has five book/paper conservators, one preventative conservator, three audiovisual specialists, two members who work on library binding, and three student workers who collaborate on the care of the Library’s 18 million collection items.

Watch the videos below (and on Instagram(opens in a new tab) and YouTube(opens in a new tab)!) for a behind-the-scenes look at how the Preservation & Conservation Department makes the Library’s collections accessible and usable.

How does UCLA Library circulate books with degraded spines?

Watch to learn how we're able to circulate books with degraded spines.

How does UCLA Library handle wet books?

Learn how we work to revive borrowed books after an accidental encounter with water.

How are open reels conserved at UCLA Library?

Learn how materials make their way over to the Audiovisual (AV) Digitization Lab and the open reel conservation process.

How are cassettes & VHS footage conserved at UCLA Library?

Take a tour of the Audiovisual (AV) Digitization Lab to see how audio cassettes and VHS footage are conserved.

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