Although the Metropolitan Museum of Art has performed book maintenance in-house for nearly a century, it wasn’t until 2011 that the current facility opened its doors.
With its antique tools, modern touches and intriguing rotation of patients, the renovated lab exudes a certain mad-scientist magic. The lab’s six employees process an astonishing 2,500 books each year.
“Unlike the rest of the art in this building, our work is being handled,” said Mindell Dubansky, who heads the Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation. “We have to intervene as little as possible while maintaining the function of a book — and making it look like we were never there.”
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Although the Metropolitan Museum of Art has performed book maintenance in-house for nearly a century, it wasn’t until 2011 that the current facility opened its doors.
With its antique tools, modern touches and intriguing rotation of patients, the renovated lab exudes a certain mad-scientist magic. The lab’s six employees process an astonishing 2,500 books each year.
“Unlike the rest of the art in this building, our work is being handled,” said Mindell Dubansky, who heads the Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation. “We have to intervene as little as possible while maintaining the function of a book — and making it look like we were never there.”
Take a look inside the book conversation lab at the Met [here](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/18/books/book-conservation-met.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mk0.kATS.4o3atredl6O9), even if you don’t have a subscription to The New York Times.