Document Type
Presentation
Publication Title
American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) 2026 Annual Conference & Exposition, Charlotte, NC, USA
Abstract
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Libraries are home to a Chandler & Price printing press, originally built in 1885. Unfortunately, this press was not whole or fully operational when it was acquired by the UAB Libraries in the 1970s. Among its defects, the press lacked the treadle, Pittman arm, and crankshaft to power the press, a functioning rotating ink plate, a chase for holding the type in place, and the pin that keeps the large wheel turning in time with the gears that lead the machine to function. Members from the UAB Libraries Historical Collections and Reference and Instruction teams and the Director of Engineering Design from the School of Engineering partnered with undergraduate design students for a restoration collaboration. Over the course of multiple semesters beginning in Spring 2025, design students developed solutions to return the Chandler & Price press to various stages of function, improving the continuing ability of the UAB Libraries faculty and staff to use this machine as a teaching tool. This ongoing project provides students with the opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders who are not normally consulted for traditional engineering design projects, such as museum and restoration experts. This also requires the students to not only use their traditional CAD skills to create first of their kind 3D models for this machine, but also to document their design process in ways that can be shared through various advertising media for the UAB Libraries.
Publication Date
6-24-2026
College or School
UAB Libraries
Recommended Citation
McGuire, Ashley; Balch, Margaret Wood; Kaetz, Anna; and Wick, Timothy M., "Printing Press Renewal" (2026). Libraries Professional Work. 42.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/libraries-pw/42
