Sender: Rare book and manuscripts <EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
There may be more than one "CoLibri System," but we have been using, for
two or three years now, fairly extensively, what I understood to be
"The" CoLibri System. I haven't actually taken a look a the machinery,
but the results, as we get them, are either a welded polyethylene
"dustjacket" (i.e., a loose jacket that slips over, say, the boards of a
book in printed wrappers, with no use of adhesives) or a three-sided
envelope that encloses a piece of card stock and an item that is either
somewhat odd-sized (e.g., shorter or narrower than its neighbors) or
consists of only a few sheets that need support to shelve successfully.
The first product has largely (if not completely) replaced polyester
dustjackets on cased books with dustjackets as well as wrappered books.
The second product very largely replaces a variety of "pamphlet folders"
that we previous used. It is much preferred since it both protects the
item from abrasion, dirt, etc., and also reduces handling since the item
can be viewed through the polyethylene -- you don't, in general, have to
wrestle it out of, say, a three-flap pamphlet folder merely to confirm
what it is.
Another advantage is that a paper label (with class number, say, or a
bar code label) bonds very neatly to the material (replacing flags) or a
bookplate or other label can be viewed through it.
I haven't tried intentionally to open a seam, but I'm never seen
anything that suggests a weak one.
Cordially ------- Sid Huttner, Head, Special Collections & University
Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries. sid-huttner@uiowa.edu.