Disbinding Library Volumes for Digitization

In certain cases, it may be desirable to disbind library books to facilitate digitization.

Imaging Services works closely with the Collections Care unit of Preservation Services to provide this service.

If your repository would like to have us disbind books we will need a signed document authorizing the disbinding, listing HOLLIS numbers or other unique identifiers for each volume. Repositories must confirm that Harvard Library is not "committed to retain" the volumes sent for disbinding through contracts with HL partners. If any of the volumes are discovered to bear the "Committed to Retain" tag, a contingency plan must be in place.

Additionally, the following disclaimer applies to all disbinding:

Once a volume is disbound, Preservation Services cannot guarantee that it will be possible for the volume to be repaired or rebound into a usable physical volume. Factors such as limited commercial library binding budget, insufficient binding margins of the textblock, brittle paper, and others may prevent further treatment to a volume once it has been disbound.