Paul N. Banks
Encyclopedia
Paul Banks was Conservator and Head of the Conservation Department and Laboratory at the Newberry Library
from 1964 to 1981. He left the Newberry Library in 1981 to establish the first United States degree granting program in library preservation at the Columbia University
School of Library Science. Banks published widely on library preservation
, conservation issues, and education.
techniques, a skill not offered in colleges and universities. Banks studied at Carnegie Institute of Technology
in Pittsburgh before working in book production and typography
in New York City for Viking Press and Clark & Way from 1956–1960. During this time he took evening courses at Columbia in book related topics. The next four years were spent in part time jobs, giving book binding lessons, and writing reports for the Journal of the Guild of Book Workers.
At the Newberry, he published on conservation topics and developed leaflets to help beginning conservators find resources and training. His paper at the 1969 meeting of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), was the first time a paper was given at the AIC on book conservation. He served as President of the AIC from 1978–80, the first president to be a professional book conservator.
He left the Newberry in 1981 to help establish a conservation and preservation program at the Columbia University School of Library Science, and remained until the school was closed in 1992. The preservation program then moved to the University of Texas at Austin
, where he taught until his retirement. According to Ellen McCrady, a former student, Banks’ lectures were the “heart of the program.” His hundreds of students at Columbia and Texas continue his legacy.
Gary Frost, a co-worker of Banks at the Newberry and 2006 winner of the Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award, writes “Paul's greatest legacy to the future has been and will be his library school based training program for preservation administrators and library conservators.”
, by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of the American Library Association
.
Newberry Library
The Newberry Library is a privately endowed, independent research library for the humanities and social sciences in Chicago, Illinois. Although it is private, non-circulating library, the Newberry Library is free and open to the public...
from 1964 to 1981. He left the Newberry Library in 1981 to establish the first United States degree granting program in library preservation at the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
School of Library Science. Banks published widely on library preservation
Preservation (library and archival science)
Preservation is a branch of library and information science concerned with maintaining or restoring access to artifacts, documents and records through the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of decay and damage....
, conservation issues, and education.
Biography
He was born in California in 1934 as an only child, and was drawn to fine printingPrinting
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
techniques, a skill not offered in colleges and universities. Banks studied at Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
in Pittsburgh before working in book production and typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
in New York City for Viking Press and Clark & Way from 1956–1960. During this time he took evening courses at Columbia in book related topics. The next four years were spent in part time jobs, giving book binding lessons, and writing reports for the Journal of the Guild of Book Workers.
Career
He was appointed Conservator at the Conservation Department at the Newberry Library in Chicago when it was established s in 1964. At the Newberry, he improved repair practices and began training apprentices and other staff in conservation; many future conservators received training there. In 1971, the Newberry Library Conservation Laboratory was established with Banks as the Director; he continued in this capacity until he left in 1981.At the Newberry, he published on conservation topics and developed leaflets to help beginning conservators find resources and training. His paper at the 1969 meeting of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), was the first time a paper was given at the AIC on book conservation. He served as President of the AIC from 1978–80, the first president to be a professional book conservator.
He left the Newberry in 1981 to help establish a conservation and preservation program at the Columbia University School of Library Science, and remained until the school was closed in 1992. The preservation program then moved to the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, where he taught until his retirement. According to Ellen McCrady, a former student, Banks’ lectures were the “heart of the program.” His hundreds of students at Columbia and Texas continue his legacy.
Gary Frost, a co-worker of Banks at the Newberry and 2006 winner of the Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award, writes “Paul's greatest legacy to the future has been and will be his library school based training program for preservation administrators and library conservators.”
Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award
The Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award was established to honor Paul Banks and Carolyn HarrisCarolyn Harris
Carolyn Lynnet Harris was a library conservationist. She received a B.A. in Art History in 1969 and a Masters of Library Science in 1970, both from the University of Texas at Austin.-Career:...
, by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
.
Selected bibliography
- Banks, P. N. (1974). "Environmental standards for storage of books and manuscripts." Library Journal, 99(3), 339-343.
- Banks, P. N. (1976). "Books in peril: Cooperative approaches to conservation." Library Journal. 101(20), 2348-51.
- Banks, P. N. (1979). "Education for conservators." Library Journal, 104(9), 1013-1017.
- Banks, P. N. (1981). "Education in library conservation." Library Trends, 30(2), 189-201.
- Banks, P. N. (1981). A selective bibliography on the conservation of research library materials. Chicago: Newberry Library.
- Banks, P. N. (1987). Preservation of Library Materials. Chicago: Newberry Library.
- Banks, P. N. (1990). "Preservation, library collections, and the concept of cultural property." Libraries and scholarly communication in the United States. Edited by Phyllis Dain and John Y. Cole. New York: Greenwood Press.
- Banks, P. N. (1995). "ISR/ASTM workshop on paper aging." Conservation Administration News, (60), 22.
- Banks, P. N. (2000). "Environment and building design for preservation of library materials." Preservation. Chicago: American Library Association.
- Banks, P. N. & Pilette, R. (2000). Preservation: Issues and Planning. Chicago: American Library Association.