Created: 8/19/2021-3/15/2023

^{(All illustrations by Melanie Shaw; except for the 5 hole binding instructions & making a pamphlet cover instructions, which were created by an anonymous former Special Collections Art Book Room employee)}

I-Preliminaries

A-SUPPLIES

Pre-made Music Binders from Archival Products: Archival Products for Preservation | Enclosures and Binders

Webpage for Archival Products music binders: Quick Bind™ Music Binder with Board Cover (Two Pockets) - Pack of 5

• Music Binder Quick Bind with pocket:

  • MBQB-11-1P-TD (1 Pocket, Tyvec Diagonal)-A (zero spine), 9 1/2” x 12-1/4” Clear front

  • MBQB-2-1P-TD (1 Pocket, Tyvec Diagonal)-B (1/8 spine), 10” x 13-1/4” Clear front

• Music Binder Quick Bind without pockets:

• MBQB-11-A (zero spine) 9 1/2” x 12-1/4” Clear front

  • MBQB-2-B (1/8 spine) 10” x 13-1/4” Clear Front

  • Resupplies for both: https://archival.com/quickbindmusic.html

• Music Binder Spine Wrap^tm – using our remaining supply of these for extra thick single-signature scores that won’t lay flat in the regular binders

  • Resupplies: instead of spine wraps, just order Quick Binders, as above (see 1.b.), but with thicker spine: -B (1/8” spine) or -C (1/4” spine).

Alternate supplier for pre-made binders: Gaylord Archival

their pockets won’t many parts or thick parts, & have a closed top which often needs to be carefully cut open to fit most of our part(s), still, they do the job

• Gaylord Archival® Classic™ 1/4" Double Cloth Spine Sew or Staple Music Binder with Clear Cover & Diagonal Pocket

  • size: 9” W x 12. 1/4” H

  • part no: MCB912VD

  • $16.41 (2023)

  • Gaylord Archival® Classic™ 1/4" Double Cloth Spine Sew or Staple Music Binder with Clear Cover & Diagonal Pocket

    • size: 10” W x 13 1/4 H

    • part no.: MBC1013VD

    • $17.53 (2023)

Other supplies for pamphlet binding scores:

• Binding Needle, Linen Binding Thread, Awl, and Beeswax

  • Resupply is from Gaylord Archival (Archival Bookbinding, Book Repair Tape, Tools & Supplies | Gaylord Archival) or TALAS.

  • A dissection tool can be used in place of an awl for poking holes (and is usually available through the USU Campus Bookstore)

• Metal Ruler, Triangle or Carpenter Square, Pointed Bone Folder for measuring and scoring (locally supplied)

• Card-Weight Paper (supplies can be found locally)

  • we are currently using pads of Toned Grey Strathmore Mixed Media, 18 x 24 inch.

• Binder tape (without adhesive) for making our own binders, and with adhesive for many other uses.

• Pamphlet Boards for making odd-shaped binders (Gaylord or Archival Products):

  • Available at Gaylord Archival as 60 pt. Blue/Grey Barrier Board Sheets (25-Pack) 18” x 24” or Part #BG1824-2 here: Gaylord Archival® 60 pt. Barrier Board Sheets (25-Pack) | Boards & Paper | Conservation Supplies | Preservation | Gaylord Archival

    • $133.30 per 25 sheets (this is our usual source)

  • OR at Archival Product's High-Density Acrylic-Coated Dark Gray Pamphlet Board

    • They are huge (39 x 40 inches), so we may want them cut to 18 x 24 inch (it will cost extra): https://archival.com/archivalboards.html#darkgrey - #DGPB .056 CTD Dark Gray - 39" x 40"

    • $17.01 each ($0.15 cut per sheet)

• PETG clear Plexiglass plastic sheets (12 x 12”), 20 mil (.020”/.051mm) for front of binders - available online from various vendors (usually) through Amazon.

• Jade 403 Adhesive (8 oz.) - acid free binding adhesive.

• Double-sided archival tape (used in place of glue when making slipcover/pockets).

• Tape:

  • FILMOPLAST P acid-free mending tape - for mending rips and making sheets into folios

    • Gaylord or Talas

  • Gummed Tyvek tape (Gaylord) - for making sheets into folios.

    • Gummed Tyvek® Tape (328 ft.) | Tape | Conservation Supplies | Preservation | Gaylord Archival

B-Prebinding: Score Formats

• Single signature scores:

  • The vast majority of our scores are a single signature of leaves folded in half and stacked together, often stapled in the centerfold margin or gutter. Most of them are within the heights of 28 to 32 cm , and can be sewed into our ready-made Quick Bind pamphlet binders.

  • We sew all of these using 5 hole pamphlet binding (see II-A for directions).

  Open

  

  A signature pulled apart to show its structure and gutter

  • A folio is generally (but not always) considered a single sheet of paper folded in two (and may have 2-4 pages of music printed on it),

• Open

  

  A single folio music score

• Parts: if there is more than one instrument or voice:

  1. Are there separate parts tucked into the center or back of the score?

  2. Scores with parts will usually be kept together, will share a barcode, and will be checked out together. On very rare occasion, the score and parts may be too big to house together.

  3. While checking for parts, make sure our tattle-tape hasn't been put into the score so as to glue one or more parts to the score. They need to be removeable. If they have been, carefully unstick the glued parts from the score and cover the exposed tattle-tape with opaque repair tape.

  4. Loose pages: watch for scores with an odd number of leaves, which can contain a continuously paged loose sheet in the center of the folio: if loose, attach to the crease of the center fold with clear binding tape.

3. Scores that are not single-folios will need different processing.

II-Binding the scores

A-FIVE HOLE PAMPHLET BINDING (single signature folio)

^{(Illustrations by anonymous former Art Book Room worker)}

This is our most common music score binding method, used on most of the scores in the circulating stacks. Occasionally we will receive that cannot be bound using the 5-hole pamphlet binding (see Complex Binding and Processing for exceptions).

1a-Measure the thread

Use the pamphlet binder itself as a guide as shown in figure 1a: unroll enough thread to go twice the length of score, plus 3 inches extra, cut the thread, and then use the block of beeswax to wax the entire thread: this will both strengthen the thread and keep it from tangling.

1b-Thread the binding needle;

You can tie a knot at the end of the thread (leaving about 1 1/2 to 2 inches at the end), or not, depending on how much control you have over the thread during sewing, as in figure 1b. (A knot can help keep the thread from falling out of the first hole.)

2-Place the score into the pamphlet binder cover

Line up its edges with the binder as tight to the binder spine as possible, figure 2A--Open to the centerfold of the score, and use a binder-clip or paperclip on each side to hold the score in place, figure 2B.

4-In the centerfold of the score, use an awl or dissection tool to poke a hole in the center fold, then poke 4 more holes, evenly, as shown in figure 2B. (This will make it easier to get the needle through). Some folks will remove any staples before making the holes; However, do remove any staples that are rusty.

3-The 5-hole pamphlet sewing pattern

Figure 3, no.1

The sewing starts from the inside center hole, then makes two figure-eights through the holes, skipping the central hole on the first pass, then finishes by coming thru the center hole again, but from the outside (figure 3, no.9), while keeping the thread tight, and tying the two ends together.

See also step-by-step Detailed description below and in Figure 4, no. 1-5:

Detailed description:

Figure 4. no. 1. Start from the inside and insert needle into the center hole, to the outside (you can tie a knot in the thread, if needed); then turn the binder, and go thru the next hole outside to inside. Turn and go thru the next hole, inside to outside. no. 2. Turn, then return to the second hole from outside to inside, being careful not to pierce the earlier thread. no. 3. Turn, and skip the center hole; instead go thru the next hole, and continue as shown, turning between each hole. no. 4. The last stitch returns to the center hole, but the needle goes from the back of the binder to the inside.

4-Make sure all sewn stitches are tight, before tying the knots

Pull threads (gently) only along the stitches, to keep from tearing the paper. no. 5. Then, either tie the first & last threads together over the long center stitch (figure 3, diagram), or tie the knot to the center stitch thread - but only if the first thread was knotted (figure 4, no. 1 & 5); then trim excess thread off, leaving about 3/4 inch thread.

5-Finish by removing any cover guards and labeling.

If there are parts, label each part and place into the pocket on the inside back cover. Stamp Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library on the score (and parts), either on the page ends (if thick enough) or the inside first page. Do not cover or obscure any music or caption titles

Print friendly version:

Open

B-Complex Bindings and Processing:

SQUARE BACK SCORES:

Includes scores with Perfect Binding (glued spine) & Multiple Signature music scores. Various treatments have been used in USU, but see New Procedures and workflows at the link below.

SPIRAL OR COMB-BOUND SCORES:

• Spiral bound and Comb-bound scores open flat for easy music performance, and are popular in small publisher or self published sheet music, but cause numerous problems in a library:

• Spirals and combs are wider than the pages making them prone to breakage within the stacks:

  • They can get snagged in adjacent spiral/comb-bounds causing damage & frustration for patrons;

  • They often won’t stand upright on the shelf and can slide completely off or behind the shelf;

  • See also Peter Shirts' excellent presentation: “The bane of a music librarian’s existence”: why and how music libraries rebind spiral- and comb-bound scores archived here: http://semla.musiclibraryassoc.org/semla2019/presentations/Shirts_SEMLA_2019_Spiral_Bound_Scores.pdf (as of 8/20/2024, this link is broken)

  • And we’ve been finding these are becoming more common in music; particularly with music being printed from computers as a small publisher/self-publishing method.

USU Libraries have tried various methods of dealing with these scores through the years:

1-Protective Kapco covers (spiral/comb left unmodified):

• For thick popular music anthologies bound with spiral/comb bindings, we often 'laminate” (KAPCO protective sticky sheets) on front and back covers (being careful not to cover the holes), while leaving the comb/spiral in place (unless it is coming apart). We use two separate Kapco back cover pieces to cover them.

  • This strengthens the back and front cover enough to improve sitting on the shelf, but doesn't address the problems with entanglement and damage to spirals & combs over time in the stacks.

  • Comb-bound scores have sometimes been ‘laminated’ over the comb in the past (especially if they’re breaking), but won’t open as flat afterwards (esp. in high use items, like pedagogical scores).

  • For Art Music (Classical) scores, we use one of the processes below:

2-Making pockets or slipcover to hold the bindings within a pamphlet binder:

• For Art/classical music scores, with more than one part, this has been our most common method:

  • 1. make either one large square pocket or two square pockets to hold the score plus parts,

  • 2. then glue the pocket(s) into a handmade pamphlet binder (with no clear front). This allows for relatively easy storage on the shelf while providing protection in the stacks for the fragile (especially plastic) spiral-bound and (even more fragile) comb-bound scores.

  • Unfortunately, they can get separated from their pam-binder during circulation and can be awkward for patrons to carry or staff to reshelf.

  • However, this is still our most useful technique for really long, tall, or wide scores (for those, we may also add a set of Velcro dots to help hold the binder closed).

    A square-back pocket to house a very wide score and its parts, will often need something to brace the pocket: here a folded & glued strip of card:

Instructions for square pockets, slipcases, and pamphlet binders:

Music Scores - Binding Procedures | Strong Square Back Pocket

Music Scores - Binding Procedures | Simple Slipcase/Pocket:

Music Scores - Binding Procedures | Stronger Slipcase/Pocket

Music Scores - Binding Procedures | III Making a pamphlet binder from scratch

3-Tacketing/lacing (tying or lightly sewing) and gluing into a pam-binder

• Glue the score’s back to the binder, and use a few stitches to tack down the spiral to the binder with binder thread; leaving enough space to allow it to open flat & move freely;

  • I use a T-square or triangle to draw a line to punch the holes along,

  • Then clamp the spiral-bound text block to sew the spiral into the binder.

    • A spacer or two may be needed when gluing to the binder for the thicker/heavier spiral scores

• This isn’t usually possible for the more brittle comb-bound scores (lamination or housing in pockets is about all we can do for them) Although, for a very thin, light-weight comb-bound score, I did test just gluing and taping the back of the score to a pam-binder (we’ll see how long it lasts).

• The very few explanations I’ve found on the web just show tacking down a few spirals (since the glued down back cover does a lot of the work of holding the score in the binder) but I ended up adding more sewing thru paired holes and running the thread thru the spirals between each double station in this thin spiral bound score shown here:

  •  

4-Thoroughly sewing the spiral into a Pam-binder without gluing down the back

• Unfortunately, some spiral bound scores come with multiple parts, usually requiring a handmade pamphlet binder for these, with two pockets on the front and back cover.

• But, for a fairly lightweight score and parts, I’ve recently just started adding more sewing stations to strengthen the attachment of the spiral/binding structure and left the back cover unglued, so the pamphlet back was free to attach a pocket for the part.

  • I repeated the loops of a 5-hole binding multiple times up & down the spiral; running the thread thru 2 spirals each time:

  • Start and finish the sewing somewhere in the center, and tie the 2 ends together in the middle where it’s less likely to get snagged during use and shelving, then knot & trim ends as usual. I probably over-did the number of stations a tad on this one:

  • Multiple-5-hole binding (possibly too many); allows the spiral bound music to open flat; while also allowing for gluing a pocket for parts to the binder back.

6-A video showing less stitching and using spinal-wrap pamphlets:

7-Archival Products ready-made pamphlets for spiralbound music:

• Another possibility would be purchasing ready-made pamphlets made specifically for these problem bindings. A rod mounted into the pamphlet binder runs through the spirals. We haven’t yet tried this, but if the number of purchased scores bound with spirals or combs keeps rising it may be worth doing so.

• Archival Products: https://archival.com/spiralbookbinder.html

SCORES PUBLISHED AS UNBOUND SHEETS

Scores are sometimes published as one or more unbound leaves of paper. They may be just one sheet of paper, a pile of loose sheets, or folded in various configurations. The library may have purchased them as a PDF file and printed it out for circulation (and Acquisitions may have Velobound it, if so, take it apart, so we can rebind it in a lay flat binding).

One sheet of paper only:

• If a score consists of just one leaf of paper:

  • we can score a fold inside its left margin (making sure not to get too close to the music notation), and sew the page into a binder,

    • we can also use clear binding tape to reinforce the folded edge or further attach the narrow stub end to a folded cover paper (useful for extremely fragile paper).

  • if the margin/gutter is too narrow for scoring, just use clear paper mending acid-free tape (like filmoplast) to attach it to a folded cover, then sew the folded cover to the binder.

  • One leaf part(s): we usually place these unprotected in a pocket (each with its own label), but if it’s a set of parts without a score, a high use part, or printed on flimsy paper; we fold card-weight paper into a cover (making it slightly larger than the part), and sew the part(s) using 5-hole binding (or use 3-hole binding, if really thin paper), then place in the pocket.

Several sheets in a pile:

1-Taping/gluing into a set of folios:

2-Folded Edge or stub-binding:

• The 2 scores I have (so far) bound in folded edge binding, had unusually short, but extremely wide pages. This binding is:

  • Best used with leaves having a significantly wide inner margin (or gutter)

  • Also, with flexible, lightweight leaves, not card-stock or thick paper

  • When checking if enough white space is in the inner margin to make a fold, also make sure the stub ends themselves won’t obscure the musical notation.

    1. Lay out each of the future folios as double pages in two piles with the inner margins facing each other.

    2. Measure and score each inner margin of each page with a pointed bone folder; using a metal ruler as a straight-edge. Then fold the edge.

    3. Nest the folded edges into their folios, in order. Care must be taken to preserve the order of reading of the pages.

    4. After making doubly sure that the resulting folios are still in order, clamp or paperclip them into a pamphlet binder, and use the regular five-hole single-signature pamphlet binding procedures to sew them together.

3-Sew in a single-sheet “Coptic” binding with 3 needles:

• Simplified Coptic Single Sheet Binding

• This is a rather complicated bit of binding & requires a bit of practice. (I made several models before using this on two gift scores). If possible for purchased scores, use one of the first 2 methods instead.

Accordion folded or other folded sheet(s):

• If the musical notation in a score runs across one or more accordion-folded pages, these need some thought as to processing:

  • Usually, we label each sheet of folds (including page numbers: p.1-4, etc.) and house them within a pocket inside a pam-binder:

  •  

  • Simpler folded scores can often be sewn through the first folio-like fold into a pamphlet-binder, with the remaining pages folded up, but always check that the resulting structure will lay flat afterwards, while making sure all the pages will unfold after sewing (if the structure won’t sit on a music stand, we may just leave it unbound, label it, and stick it into a pam-binder pocket).

III-MAKING A PAMPHLET BINDER COVER FROM SCRATCH:

^{(Created by an anonymous former SCA or ABR student, with slight revisions)}

Print-friendly version:

Open

MAKING POCKETS FOR PARTS:

Here are a few folded pockets for holding parts, or scores plus parts. (We can also use cut-down archival envelopes from Special Collections and Archives downstairs if the parts/scores are flat enough to fit.)

Ready made archival envelopes cut into a pocket.

Easiest method; good if the parts are flat enough to fit into the resulting pocket. Just ask Special Collections & Archives before taking any.

Simplest Pocket for a thin part:

Pattern for a simple pocket: very thin, so useful for laminated square-back score with a thin part.

Fold from strong, light-weight, paper or Tyvek (if we have any in stock). I have used this pocket for fairly thin parts with a score, or for pockets inserted into the back of a thick score itself:

Printable version:

Open

Strong pocket for several thin parts

• Measure & mark lines with a metal ruler; then cut the pocket (with a cutter if available, or scissors if you have steady hand) and cut out the waste piece (marked in grey, above).

• Glue the bottom flap over the back fold until it holds

• Coat the back with glue and attach to the pamphlet binder (usually with opening facing towards the spine). Insert wax paper into the pocket and between the pocket and the score, then press the pamphlet binder overnight with a heavy brick or book.

Strong Square-Back Pocket

For thicker parts or a score plus numerous parts.

• First figure out how thick the square back should be by measuring the parts stacked together as they would sit in the pocket.

• Measure and draw (with a pencil) the cut lines and folds for the pocket (the height of our pockets are usually about two thirds to three-quarters of the height of the parts) and cut out the waste.

• Score, then fold on the creases and glue the bottom flap to the back piece, then quickly:

• Spread glue over the entire back to the pamphlet binder, and press the pocket into place on the pamphlet back. Wrap the parts with wax paper and insert them into the pocket, then press everything in the pamphlet binder overnight with heavy book or brick on top.

Simple Slipcase/Pocket:

Requires archival, permanent, double-sided tape.

• For very bulky paperback scores or spiral/comb scores plus parts. The flaps are taped together (in the order of folding) with archival permanent double-sided tape. Cut a notch in the front to allow for easier removal. These measurements fit our most common size of score and pamphlet binders (the thickness will vary).

• • Warning: I discovered this slipcover can be pulled apart fairly easily. However, since the folded edge is the strongest, it can still be used, if the strongest unglued side is down; then glued into a wide binder (Based on a slipcase from CCI.)

Stronger Slipcase/Pocket

• The last two flaps are glued to the back with binder glue.

• Archival “permanent” double-sided tape is used for the other flaps.

• This slipcover has an extra flap (4) which folds over & is glued to the back, which makes it much stronger than the previous slipcover. The other flaps and tabs may be taped with archival “permanent” double-sided tape. Cut a notch in the front for ease of score removal.

• After gluing the two flaps to the back, cover entire back with glue, press into binder, then wrap the set of scores & parts in wax paper, insert in pocket, and let it set overnight, with a weight on top.

• Add a Velcro dot to hold the cover closed, if the slipcover is wide enough: