In the forthcoming issue of the Guild of Book Workers Journal, J. Franklin Mowery and Sonja Jordan-Mowery describe the Folger Phase Box, a phase box with a transparent spine, and provide step-by-step directions for building this structure. Their introduction is excerpted below. The Guild of Book Workes Journal is a benefit of membership in the Guild of Book Workers. Copies of individual issues are also available for purchase here.
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Constructing the Folger Phase Box.
While the phase box was intended to be a first step toward eventual conservation treatment, for many institutions it has become a permanent solution and a strategic option in collection care. Unfortunately, boxing collections can lead to the unintended consequence of lulling curators and conservators into complacency with regard to future conservation—or, worse, an assumption that materials are safe in their housing. Many libraries routinely box their collections, and it is not uncommon to find out years later, when pulling the box off the shelf, that the box is empty.
As currently designed, most enclosures—clamshell boxes, wrappers, phase boxes—prohibit any view inside the enclosure. While one can remove the box from the shelf, open it, and inspect it, this takes more time. Conservators have responded to this limitation by redesigning and fabricating variations of wrappers, phase boxes, and clamshell boxes with visible spines. Conservators have experimented with uncoated polyester of high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, and transparency.
The technique presented in the forthcoming issue of the Guild of Book Workers Journal for a visible spine wrapper was developed at the Folger Shakespeare Library and is known as the Folger Phase Box. This structure went through several modifications, including use of button and string ties, until its final version presented here with a polyester tongue that slipped under a flap. This latter design also provided a handy pocket for book slips.
Previous versions relied on velcro dots or buttons with string ties as closures. The current version is securely closed closed with a tuck-in flap has a tab for easy opening.
The Folger Phase Box takes only one to two hours to learn initially. Once comfortable with the measurements and design concept, the actual process only takes 30 minutes to complete, excluding the time needed to assemble and prepare materials before¬hand. A simple solution to housing, access to information on the spine, access to visual inspection of the artifact, and more visually appealing on the shelf, the Folger Phase Box has been shared with other institutions and conservators.
A visible spine wrapper as provided in the Folger Phase Box is a viable and secure construction for any book, whether in an institutional or private collection. It is most often used for books whose dimensions range from 6”h x 8”w x ½” thick to 12” h x 10”w x 3” thick. Larger and heavier books require heavier card stock. As with modifying any standard technique, experimentation and attention to performance are essential.
The Folger Phase Box with visible spine.