Material in the general collections of public and academic libraries are usually found in open stacks, circulated and handled, and therefore, prone to wear and tear.

After salaries and wages, more than 67% of preservation money for research libraries is spent on library binding!*

In addition to commercial binding, libraries use reformatting methods like microfilming and photocopying to preserve heavily used books, journals, and pamphlets.

*Dean, J.F. (2000) Commercial library binding. In Paul N. Banks and Roberta Pilette (Eds.), Preservation:Issues and planning. (248-264). Chicago: American Library Association.