Button board instructions - smith-special-collections/sc-documentation GitHub Wiki

Button boards allow for better housing for and researcher/staff access to buttons in collections. This document is based on one created by Ariana Dunning, a graduate student working in the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department at New York University Libraries.

The supplies for the button boards are in 106 and 304A (Materials Prep Room). The b-flute cardboard and Volara foam are stored in 304A, along the back wall opposite the door. All other supplies are in 106 near the bookplate and enclosure supplies along the southeastern wall.

  • You will need:
    • b-flute cardboard
    • Volara foam
    • linen thread
    • bookbinding needle
    • thimble
    • awl
    • self-healing cutting mat
    • X-acto knife
    • measuring tape or ruler
    • pencil

The supplies in 106 include templates for letter-sized document boxes and 9”x13” flat boxes. If you need button boards for other sized boxes, measure the interior of the box or folder that the board will be housed in.

  • Mark the measurements on the piece of board you will be using and use the mat cutter in 304A to easily cut the board.

  • There is a self-healing cutting mat and X-acto knives in 304A if you want to cut your Volara foam there (these supplies are also in 106). Be sure to measure and cut your Volara foam to be slightly smaller than the board.

  • For boards that will be housed in document boxes, you need one piece of foam; you will need two pieces of foam for boards that will be stored in flat boxes, one for each side of the board.

  • You may want to use the awl to punch holes through the board, to make it easier to push the needle through the board and to keep your stitches in a straight line.

  • You may want to use binder clips to keep the foam on the board as you are sewing.

  • For boards that will be stored in flat boxes, when you have finished sewing the foam to the board, cut off two corners diagonal from each other to make it easier to lift the boards out of the box.

  • Affix the buttons to the foam, but not the board.