Georgia's Only Book Bindery Closing Shop

ROSWELL, Ga. - For nearly 100 years, an Atlanta business has provided a service that no one else in the state provides.

The National Library Bindery Company of Georgia used to bind old and historical books back to their original state, but that's over. The family business said the big reason is technology.

The company was started before Jack Tolbert, who is now president, was even born. It opened in 1921. His aunt, who would later own it with her husband in the 40's, was one of the first people to work here and soon it became a family affair. Even Margarett Mitchell was a customer.

"She would come out and talk to my uncle about the book she was writing and of course it was gone with the wind. And after the book was published we made a lot of enclosures for her copies,” said Tolbert.

The business was thriving for decades until they hit the Digital Age.

"We could always compete with other binderies, but digital media we could not compete," said Tolbert

Jack said it started in 2002 when universities started transitioning to digital media and libraries followed. Then, tablets and e-books came along. Jack said the hard copies have faded away.

"What happens when CD's are no longer viewable or different databases are no longer viewable? How will we transfer that information to a form we can read? There are a lot of unknowns,” said Tolbert.

The company would have turned 100 in 2021. The decision to close the company would have upset Tolbert’s aunt and uncle, he said his uncle would have added that it should have been done 5 years sooner.