October A powerful person under the edge of supporting Kanagawa Library

~ I've seen the craftsmanship of book repair volunteers~

　A few days left in October…。 November is "Reading Activity Promotion Month" in Yokohama City.
This time, at the Kanagawa Library, which celebrated its 35th anniversary this year, we have seen the activities of volunteers who are repairing broken or damaged books.
The "Book Repair Volunteers" introduced by the director as "the powers under the edge" started their activities as volunteers after completing the "Book Repair Course" conducted by Kanagawa Library in 2016. . We are currently working with eight people.

　Many people notice an abnormality in the book, such as "the page is torn", "there is a missing page", or "the binding is broken", are often returned when the borrowed book is returned. Librarians write down what kind of "symptoms" and what kind of repairs are needed in the communication memo and arrange them in a special rack. Volunteers consider how to repair while looking at the memo and the actual damage. Depending on how to bind the original book, such as glue, tape, and thread, the type and thickness of the paper, the repair method and tools used also change, and it seems that it may be better to dismantle once and re-bind it. In addition, the degree of reinforcement changes between books picked up by small children and books read by adults. Everyone who listens to the story smile picks up a broken book and turns it into the eyes of the craftsman. We share ideas with friends and sometimes librarians, and fix them in the best way that suits the book.
In 1991, about 7,500 books purchased or donated by the Kanagawa Library. And 711 books were repaired by volunteers. It seems that it will take two weeks to finish a book, so I'm filled with gratitude for how much time you spend. I'm really grateful that the budget for purchasing books cannot be increased easily.

　One who was fixing a book for children said, "I love children. I want to see the smiles of the children who pick up this book." Book repair volunteers are still facing the book today for someone else's smile beyond the book.

From the left, Mayor Hibino, Director Komuro, librarian Mr. Yamauchi, and volunteers are holding their companions (tools used for repair).