Edging: Art or Science?

A classic from 1988

Back when the journal, American Libraries, used to joke around.

Curran, Charles E. "Edging: art or science?" (1988)

LIBRARIANS WHO RECEIVED their professional training prior to 1949 know about edging. Those of the modern era do not, which might account for the disheveled shelves found in so many libraries today.

Edging is the final touch that is applied to a shelf of books after it is "read." Reading the shelf, or shelf-reading, involves arranging the books in proper order For example, in Dewey, 973 comes before 974, and in LC, B comes before BF. Edging, on the other hand, is the process of lining up the spines of the shelf-read books with the front edge of the shelf. Edging provides the appearance of order

Edging is an art; but like many of the library arts, it is also a science. While there are a number of standard edging techniques that help to make it the science of edging, some librarians can edge and some can not; that's what makes it an art. Some people are born edgers. Some have to learn to edge, either from formal coursework or from books like Clern's Manual for Edgers. Some, sadly, never learn.

edging is the crowning touch

Since edging is the crowning touch on a shelf-reading project, the shelf-reader should ideally be the one to experience the satisfaction of lining up the volumes. Therein lies a problem: few shelf-readers are schooled in the edging art, and few professional librarians who are accomplished edgers can be persuaded to read shelves, which is the library equivalent of KP. So most libraries display their stock in unedged postures.

Books which are not edged, regardless of whether or not they have been shelfread, appear to be in disorder; books which are edged, regardless of whether or not they have been shelf-read, appear to be in order. It is even better to appear in order than to be in order. Therefore, the recommendation here is that all library shelves be edged each day.

the barbarous practice of backing.

Before discussing edging any further, it is first necessary to discredit the barbarous practice of backing. Some unschooled librarians substitute the practice of backing for the art of edging. Backing involves pushing the books from the front toward the panel in the rear of the shelving unit and lining the books up against that backing-hence the term: backing.

Not only does backing leave uneven rows of books, it creates uneven spaces along the front edge of the shelf. These spaces collect dust, invite debris, and look like hell.

Double-edged shelves

The Clern Manual presents two methods for edging which can both be endorsed, with modification. Edging Technique I involves inserting one's arm behind a group of books to be edged and pulling them toward one's self. On a shelf that is three-quarters full one inserts the arm at the vacant quarter slot (usually on the right), surrounds the disordered volumes, and draws them forward in an embrace-Eke motion, taking care to bring them to a posture where they protrude an inch or so beyond the front edge of the shelf. Then with a ruler one nudges the books back to a point where the spines and the shelf form precise right angles.

Technique II is identical in every way to the above, except the books are not edged by hand. They are edged in clusters of five, six, or seven volumes, depending upon the thickness of the individual books and the specifications of the edging tool. Many younger edgers favor the Gaylord 350E, which can edge seven volumes of moderate thickness in one shot. The 350E is a semi-automatic fightweight, air-cooled, battery-operated, hand-held, 20-calibre edger with a simulated wood handle and an aluminum trigger housing. Batteries are not included.

pairs of edgers

The Clern Manual suggests that edging be performed by pairs of edgers: one an apprentice to do the embracing and the other a senior edger to operate the 350E. They can move swiftly from shelf to shelf and from stack to stack. Clern recommends that the team repeat the edging chant: "Insert, embrace, edge; Insert, embrace, edge; Insert, embrace, etc.. . . " as they go along together. This will improve coordination and draw crowds of interested onlookers.

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 1988 American Library Association

Curran, Charles E. "Edging: art or science?" American Libraries, vol. 19, no. 7, July-Aug. 1988, p. 618.

See also: Heron, D.W. "The dextral transversion factor in the science of edging." American Libraries, vol. 25, no. 2, Feb. 1994, p. 180.

Someone had a blog, “Edging Books and Other Arcana” but it didn’t get too far.