Newton Citizen

Photo by Kristen Ralph

COVINGTON -- Those wanting to preserve a document or garment with special significance have an opportunity to learn how this week, as the Newton County Library celebrates National Preservation Week.

At 6:30 p.m. today, Dr. Lois Upham, a member of the Library Board of Trustees and former college professor of library science who has taught preservation classes at several universities, will give an educational presentation on preservation.

That will be followed by a workshop from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday where the public is invited to bring in papers, books, photographs and other items to get advice on how to best preserve them.

Jack Kyle with the National Library Bindery Company will be on hand to look at genealogical items and Bibles, and to take orders to have books rebound. Upham will focus on documents and fabrics.

"People can bring things in and we'll look at them and give them some idea of what they can do to stabilize them and preserve them or put them in a format where they will survive," Upham said. "We're not going to do (the preservation) but will recommend what they can do. People usually have tons of newspaper clippings ... newspaper is one of the absolutely most detestable kinds of materials. It falls into wrack and ruin unless you do something with it."

Both events are free and will take place at Newton County Library, at 7116 Floyd St. in Covington, and attendance at tonight's event is not mandatory to come to Thursday's workshop, Upham said.

She encouraged anyone with an interest in preservation to attend.

"If basic information is compromised, we won't have much information anymore. It's not a very glamorous subject, but it's really important," she said.