Medieval/Renaissance Documents: Parchment repair

When exposed to the wrong environmental conditions, parchment and vellum, become dry. Mishandling or poor storage over the centuries can lead to creases in parchment or vellum. Submersion in water or very high humidity can lead to cockling. The oak gall ink used to write on parchment or vellum is extremely acidic. Certain pigments are well known to be extremely damaging to parchment and vellum as well, such as verdigris. Over time, parchment and vellum exposed to these materials begin to decay and develop holes or tears, like acidic

The following are methods to address these problems:

Parchment flattening
Parchment (or vellum) that is brittle or has been folded, crinkled or cockled can be restored by humidification. This can be achieved by placing loose sheets of parchment in a damp-pack (moistened blotters with the parchment interleaved). It can also be achieved by placing the document into a humidifier chamber. If only localized areas need humidification, ultrasonic water mist can be sprayed on the parchment.



The purpose of humidification is to relax the parchment. Once it is relaxed, it can be pressed flat or stretched flat, depending on the requirements dictated by binding.

There are dangers in this process. Pressing can cause moistened parchment to become transparent, especially when it has previously suffered water damage. If the parchment is weak or has tears, the tension put on the sheet by stretching can worsen the tears. Another method for use in extremely fragile parchment is to moisten the leaves in a damp pack and use a vacuum suction table set on low to flatten the leaf, helping the process along by unfolding creases and smoothing cockling gently by hand.



Filling loss
Holes or tears in parchment can be fixed in several ways. A hole can be fixed with a new piece of parchment, which is cut to size, pared and sanded to fit the hole. It is adhered with gelatin. This method is best if the parchment must ever be humidified in the future, because the patch will withstand the application of water and stretching. An alternative method to fill loss is by using Japanese paper and wheat starch paste (or better still, PVA) to patch the hole as a hole in paper would be patched. When PVA is used, Japanese paper goes translucent and has the feel of parchment. This process is has the advantage of being easily reversible.

A tear in parchment in Medieval times was fixed with gold-beaters skin, a very thin transparent membrane made from the intestines of animals. In modern times, tears have been successfully mended using fish skin, sturgeon bladder, a variety of other animal skin products and adhesive-coated tissue.

A final method of filling minor losses and repairing tears is pulp filling. This involves applying a dry or wet mixture of ground animal skins and paper pulp (exact ingredients and proportions vary by method) along with an adhesive to the loss area to fill it. This is done with the parchment on a suction table, to draw the filling material onto the parchment. The parchment is pressed until the filler dries.



Turner, Nancy. (1994). The Conservation of Medieval Manuscript Illuminations and the Question of Compensation. WAAC. 16(1), 21-22. Available
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn16/wn16-1/wn16-108.html

Quandt, Abigail. (1996). Recent Developments in the Conservation of Parchment Manuscripts. The American Institute for Conservation Book and Paper Group Annual. 15, 14-15. Available http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/bpg/annual/v15/bp15-14.html

Mowery, J. Franklin. (1991). The Conservation of a Thirteenth Century Armenian Manuscript. The American Institute for Conservation Book and Paper Group Annual. 10, 10-12. Available http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/bpg/annual/v10/bp10-12.html

Medieval/Renaissance Documents: Restoring illuminations

One of the most significant problems suffered by illuminaries is paint flaking from the illuminations. Parchment expands and contracts, even with only very small fluctuations temperature and humidity. This, along with normal flexing of a page in a bound books, causes the paint in illuminations to flake. Paint that flakes in this manner is referred to as being friable--flaking or powdering. The process to restore thusly damaged illuminations is called consolidation. Consolidation aims to stop the flaking by applying a substance to the cracks in the paint to make them adhere to each other and the underlying surface. Many substances have been used as consolidating agents, including microcrystalline wax, beeswax mixed with dammar resin, and soluble nylon. These methods are no longer used because they are not stable long term. A currently accepted general method of consolidation involves painting a very dilute (approximately 1%) solution of leaf gelatin that is kept warm on a hot plate onto cracks in the paint after preparing the treated area with a coating of a small amount of ethanol. The leaf gelatin wicks into the cracks between the flakes, sealing them together and to the paint surface, preventing further losses of paint.



This method cannot be used on all types of pigments, however. White lead pigments, for example, are easily swollen or otherwise disturbed by most water-based consolidants, such as leaf gelatin. Methyl cellulose instead of gelatin is more appropriate for consolidating white lead. If the area of white lead is too instable, even the small amount of water in the cellulose may make the white lead swell too much. In this case, hydroxypropylcellulose or Klucel can be used. But cellulose consolidants also have their dangers. They can leave a shiny residue on the surface of the illumination and they can overpenetrate the parchment/vellum and darken the skin.

Other examples of difficult pigments to consolidate include orpiment, which cannot be treated with gelatin or other liquid consolidants containing water and/or alcohol because the bright yellow pigment becomes noticeably darker and more saturated in color when these adhesives are applied. Ultramarine and verdigris both flake in barely noticeable, sometimes microscopic bits of paint, that are easily picked up by a brush applying a gelatin-based consolidation medium, thus further damaging the illumination. An ultrasonic mister is better used to deliver the consolidation medium when working on or around these pigments. Misters spray the consolidant onto the illumination, eliminating the need to touch it.



Misters are difficult to use in bound manuscripts with writing on both sides of the parchment, however. (When used with paper for conservation, suctioning from the opposite side of the page is used to remove excess moisture. This is impossible with bound, two sided documents.) In response to this difficulty, in 1994, Dr. Robert Fuchs, a German scientist and conservationist, proposed using a commercially available machine called the Dosiergerät to applied consolidants to manuscripts without touching them. The Dosiergerät was originally made for precise gluing operations in the assembly of computers and other electronic equipment via a syringe.

Turner, Nancy. (1994). The Conservation of Medieval Manuscript Illuminations and the Question of Compensation. WAAC. 16(1), 21-22. Available
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn16/wn16-1/wn16-108.html

Quandt, Abigail. (1996). Recent Developments in the Conservation of Parchment Manuscripts. The American Institute for Conservation Book and Paper Group Annual. 15, 14-15. Available http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/bpg/annual/v15/bp15-14.html

Medieval/Renaissance Documents: Introduction

Working to preserve Medieval or Renaissance documents is a very specialized practice. Before any discussion of conservation techniques of Medieval or Renaissance documents can begin, some background knowledge is required regarding the material used in such documents.

The type of document that this blog will focus on from here on out is called an illuminary. Illuminaries get their name from the Latin, illuminare, "to light up or illuminate." They are so named because of the bright paints, and often gold, used to decorate the writing and illustrations. Most illuminated pages were bound into books, which are sometimes also referred to as
codices (singular, codex).

Illuminaries were primarily made on parchment or vellum until Gutenburg's invention of the printing press automated the production of books, requiring the invention of paper. Parchment and vellum are disputed terms. Some people argue that the term parchment properly refers to materials derived from the skin of sheep or goats while vellum comes from calves. Furthermore, vellum refers specifically to skin which has been abraded with pumice. Despite this, most cataloguers use the terms interchangeably, referring to all the items in their collection printed on skin as either vellum or parchment without discrimination.

At any rate, parchment or vellum is made by soaking the pelt of a goat, sheep or calf in a lime solution to loosen the fur, which was then removed. While wet the animal skin was bound to a stretcher and scraped using a knife with a curved blade. Over a period of days, the skin was dampened, scraped and stretched further until the desired thinness had been achieved. Then the parchment or vellum was cut into the appropriate sized rectangles for making the book. Below is a picture of a skin being stretched to make parchment:



Once the parchment or vellum was shaped, the parchment was ruled. To accomplish this, the leaves were stacked and punched through with pin-prick holes, several sheets at once. These holes, near the edge of the page, indicated the spacing of columns, margins, and line height. After the holes were pricked, a straight edge was laid along them and ruling lines were drawn, usually with leadpoint or colored ink. Ruling lines helped the scribe to write evenly and were part of the design of the page.

The scribe wrote with a quill pen made from the feather of a goose or swan. The nib on the tip influenced the shape of the letters. A very common ink was iron gall ink. This ink was prepared by mixing ferrous sulfate with tannin, normally derived from oak galls or galls of other trees.

Once the words were written on the page, an artist would design and paint the illumination. The process begins by making an outline drawing with leadpoint or quill and ink. The areas where gold leaf would be applied were painted with a sticky substance such as bole (a refined red clay) or gum ammoniac (sap). The gold leaf was then applied and rubbed, to create a shiny surface. Finally, the illuminator applied paints for the rest of the drawing. Below is a picture of an illumination. Some writing can be seen around it:



Common pigments in the paints were:

Terre Verte (Green Earth), made from the minerals glauconite and celadonite. It was neutral yellow green to pale greenish gray to dark matte olive green.

Ultramarine, made from the precious stone lapis lazuli (it was more expensive than gold in the Middle Ages). It was a bright blue color.

Azurite, made from copper carbonate prepared by grinding the lump form, then washing to separate the color from impurities. It is dark blue.

Orpiment, made from naturally a naturally occurring arsenic sulfide. It ranges from a bright to dull, brownish yellow.

Lead White, made by suspending strips of lead above vinegar or urine in a vase, sealing it and burying it in a dung heap for several days. After a few days the artist scraped off the crust formation on the lead and ground it for use. (Yum--women used this for cosmetics too, even though it was highly toxic if ingested).

Red lead, made by heating white lead until the heat expels water and carbon dioxide from the crystals in the form of gas.

Lead-Tin Yellow, made by gently roasting white lead until lead monoxide is produced.

Verdigris, made by the corrosion of strips of copper with vinegar fumes. After the pigment was scraped from the plate, it was mixed with wine and allowed to thicken. The color produced ranges from green, green-blue to blue.

Vermillion, made from red mercuric sulphide obtained from cinnabar, the principle ore of mercury, or artificially by heating sulphur and mercury together. It is red.

Non-mineral based pigments include:

Lamp black, made from the soot produced from burning linseed or other oils, pitch, candles, or resin. It was also mixed with gum and used for ink.

Vine black, made from burning grapevine twigs.

Saffron, made from the dried stamens of Crocus plants which were infused with glaire or gum water. It is yellow.

These pigments were usually mixed with egg white to form a paint called tempera.

Once the writing and illuminating had been completed, the parchment sheets were folded into groups called gatherings. The gatherings were ordered in their proper sequence and sewn together onto cords or leather thongs that served as supports. Once the sewing was finished, the ends of the supports were laced through channels carved into the wooden boards that formed the front and back covers of the book. The binding was usually then covered in leather or a decorative fabric. Some bindings were decorated with the metal corner pieces or raised medallions that would protect the binding as it rested on a surface.

Why is it important to know all these details? Because in order to properly restore/conserve an illuminary, without doing further damage to it, it is necessary to identify what type of pigment was used in the illumination in order to avoid destructive chemical interactions. Because, if one knows that the most commonly used ink was oak gall, one will also recognize the inherent dangers that accompany the use of oak gall inks on skins. Because vellum and parchment have different requirements for restorative treatments than paper-based products.

These will be the topics of the next several posts.

The J. Paul Getty Museum. (2003). The Making of a Medieval Book. Available
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/making/

Baker, Amy. (2004). Common Medieval Pigments. The Cochineal. Available
http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~cochinea/pdfs/a-baker-04-pigments.pdf

Conservation issues: Restoring bindings

When repairing book bindings on non-modern books, the first thing that must be considered is: Is there anything unique, unusual, or historically significant about the original binding, no matter how decayed it is, that merits conservation? In other words, by rebinding the text block of a book we may be making the content of the book accessible again, but we must first determine if doing so will destroy the true value of the book through the loss of a unique example of an early binding technique. For this reason, rebinding decisions for non-modern books should only be made by those knowledgeable of the history of binding.

Another consideration before a repair to book binding is made is how the book will be stored after repair. If the book will be stored lying flat, much less repair may be needed (and therefore the potential to lose valuable aspects of the binding is reduced). The minimum repair to restore the book to an acceptable level of use should always be preferred.

That said, what are some common book binding issues?

1800-early 1900th century books:

Eighteenth and early nineteenth century book bindings are characterized by high quality (non acidic) paper, supported sewing structures, laced-on-boards, tight joints, and leather bindings. Over time, these books are subject to the bindings breaking down along the outer hinge due to the tight joint. This problem results in the need to reattach the board of these books. Another problem 1800-1900th century books suffer from is the fact that the spines on these books are often too stiff due to over lining or being bound with tight backs. This stiffness causes cracks in the lining where the spine bends. This, in turn, causes cracked text blocks. Finally, the threads used to sew books of this era are often acidic. They have become brittle overtime, causing a need to resew the signatures of the text block. This condition is even more pronounced in books of lower quality binding that do not have a padding of vellum or paper between the glues on the spine (which are acidic) and the text block.

Leather bindings from any era:
A very common problem with leather bound books from any time period is red rot. Red rot occurs in high humidity in books that have been exposed to environmental pollutants that react with the materials used to tan the leather. A book suffering from red rot has a powdery decomposition of the leather binding. Red rot is not reversible. The Library of Congress recommends placing red rotted books in polyester (Dupont Mylar Type D or ICI Mellinex 516) dust jackets to prevent dry rotted leather from shedding on adjacent books and to protect the leather binding from further decay.

Another common problem with leather bound books is the mistaken notion that it is necessary to 'treat' leather bindings with oils or soaps in the hopes of preserving them or cleaning the bindings. This was long recommended as a 'best practice' but it is now known that the oils and soaps used do more damage to the leather binding than good by driving dirt particles and fats into the grain of the leather and by introducing chemicals that dry or darken the leather over time. Cleaning leather in this manner may even be the cause of spew ( or British English, spue) on leather bindings. Spew is a material, usually white, that appears on leather. It may be fatty/oily or crystalline/salty in nature. To properly clean leather bound books, including those exhibiting spew, is to brush, wipe off or vacuum dirt particles or spew. It is also acceptable to use non-ionic soap dissolved in alcohol, trichlorofluorethane and other hydrocarbons to safely clean leather.

Pickwoad, Nicholas. (1994). Determining How Best to Conserve Books in Special Collections. The American Institute for Conservation Book and Paper Group Annual. 13, 7-13. Available http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/bpg/annual/v13/bp13-07.html

DePhillips, Henry A. and Mader, Michele L. (1997). Identification of Spue on Leather Books at Trinity College, Hartford. Abbey Newsletter 21(2). Available
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/abbey/an/an21/an21-2/an21-210.html

St John, Kristen. (2000). Survey of Current Methods and Materials Used for the Conservation of Leather Bookbindings. The American Institute for Conservation Book and Paper Group Annual. 19. Available http://aic.stanford.edu/sg/bpg/annual/v19/bp19-32.html

Koninklijke Bibliotheek - National Library of the Netherlands. (1997). Guidelines for the conservation of leather and parchment bookbindings. Available
http://www.kb.nl/cons/leather/chapter2-en.html

Library of Congress. (1998). Leather Dressing. Available http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/leather.html

Conservation issues: treating mold or mildew

Mold and mildew are both types of fungus. Mold and mildew spores are always present in the air and on objects. The spores only need an appropriate temperature and moisture content in the environment to grow thread-like filament called a hyphae. Using the object it is growing on as a food source, the hyphae form a mass, called a mycelium, and begins to produce more spores. At maturity, spore sacs burst and release the new spores, which eventually land on other material and begin the reproductive cycle again. Cellulose-based materials, such as cotton, linen, and wood (which are all the materials paper is made from), and proteinaceous materials such as leather (used in book bindings) are particularly desirable food sources for mold and mildew spores. Therefore, to protect library materials, the most important thing to do is to maintain an appropriate temperature and relative humidity level in the collection areas.

Even in an environment that is maintained properly, regular inspections for mold should be done in order to quickly contain any possible outbreaks. The first sign of mold or mildew is often the characteristic musty smell associated with an infestation. Careful visual examinations will often located spots or stains on library materials. Another way to inspect for mold and mildew is by using UV lights. Mold and mildew is luminescent in such lighting.

When mold or mildew is found, the first thing to do is to identify if it is an active or inactive infestation. An active infestation will smear and be moist when touched. And inactive infestation will appear powdery. The second thing to do is to isolate the infected materials. Limited numbers of materials can be sealed in a polyethylene bag or enclosed in polyethylene sheeting. If whole areas are infested, they should be quarantined. These measures will prevent the spread of mold or mildew spores.

Fixing a mold or mildew problem has two steps: treating the infected materials and locating/eliminating the source of the problem. To treat infected materials, first the mold or mildew must be inactive. This can be accomplished by freezing the material the infestation is growing on. Once the mold or mildew is inactive, vacuuming is the best way to remove spores. For this purpose, a vacuum cleaner which will not exhaust the spores back out into the room, such as a vacuum fitted with a HEPA filter, is recommended. A wet vacuum, filled with a solution of water and Lysol or bleach to kill the mold or mildew can also be used, but the material must then be thoroughly dried.

Once the mold or mildew is removed, to eliminate the associated odor from a small number of items, place an odor absorbent material, such as baking soda, charcoal briquettes (without injected lighter fluid), or kitty litter into a small container and seal the materials, along with this container, into a larger container. The baking soda, charcoal or kitty litter will absorb the smell over the course of several weeks. For larger numbers of items, a freeze drying company should be contacted for this service.

To treat the source of the infestation, vacuum the floor, walls, ceiling, and shelving units in the affected area. Then ensure the temperature and humidity levels are correct. Inspect for water leaks in the area from broken/poorly sealed windows or from air conditioning units. Check for moisture on the outside walls. Also check the coils of the air conditioning unit for mold or mildew--it might be blowing spores throughout the environment.

Remember: preventing mold and mildew through vigilant monitoring of environmental conditions is far preferable to treating outbreaks!


Nyberg, Sandra.(1987). The Invasion of the Giant Spore. SOLINET Preservation Program, Leaflet Number 5, 1. Available http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byauth/nyberg/spore.html

Alabama Deprtment of Archives and History Government Records Division. (2003). Responding to a Mold or Mildew Outbreak. Available http://www.archives.state.al.us/ol_pubs/mold03.pdf

The National Archives. (1993). Mold and Mildew: Prevention of Microorganism Growth In Museum Collections. Available http://www.archives.gov/preservation/conservation/mold-prevention.html

For more information: http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/mold/

Conservation issues: Brittle books

The term 'brittle book' refers to a book whose pages have become so fragile that they may break, crumble or disintegrate when handled. Deterioration occurs because the paper in the book was made with acidified wood pulp. This process for making paper was popular after the 1850s. Before this time, paper was made from linen and cotton rag and the process was an alkaline one. The acid in the wood pulp leads to decay of the paper, leaving it brittle.

In 1988, Patricia Battin, the President of the Commission on Preservation and Access of the National Endowment for the Humanities testified before the House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies on the severity of the problem of brittle books. She stated:

"...the acid paper on which we have recorded our words and images for the past 150 years is deteriorating at an alarming rate. We face a problem of monumental dimensions. In the area of books alone (the first among several priorities we hope to address in years to come), all indications are that as much as one-fourth of the collections of the nation's major libraries -- including the Library of Congress and the major research and university libraries -- is in a state of serious embrittlement due to the acid paper on which nearly all books have been printed since the mid-nineteenth century. In gross numbers we are talking about 75 million volumes." http://www.nhalliance.org/testimony/1988/88testimony-pbattin.html

She asked for increased funding for preservation and her efforts led to an appropriations bill for fiscal year 1989 that gave the National Endowment for the Humanities $12.5 million for preservation. Eight million dollars of that went to fund a twenty-year program to microfilm endangered volumes. Some libraries also photocopy brittle books to preserve their contents.

Microfilming and photocopying are not the only methods to preserve brittle books. Some books may be so valuable as to warrant deacidification or papersplitting methods of conservation. In the deacidifcation process, conservators treat the paper with a mildly alkaline solution (pH<10) that deposits a carbonate salt into the fiber of the paper. This process does not repair damage done due to brittleness or improve paper that is already brittle. It only prevents further decay of the paper in its current condition, extending its life up to 500 years.

Below is a simple procedure for deacidifying paper:

Materials:
Calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution (saturated)
Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) solution (saturated)
3 shallow trays or pans
acidic paper (several numbered samples)
pH pens

Procedure:
1. Test paper samples with pH pen. Record the pH as well as the number of each sample.
2. Choose one of the samples that tests acidic and mass on centigram balance. Record sample number and mass.
3. Submerge the paper sample in the shallow pan filled with calcium chloride solution until it is completely soaked through. Carefully remove and dry. You may use a hair dryer or blower but NO HEAT!
4. Place the dried paper sample into a shallow pan filled with sodium carbonate solution and allow to react completely (5-10 minutes). Remove carefully and dry. Again you may mechanically dry with NO HEAT.
5. Thoroughly wash the paper with water. This will require several washings!
6. Dry paper and mass on centigram balance.
7. Test paper with pH pen. Record.
8. Determine the % calcium carbonate in the deacidified sample.
(from http://web2.ccpl.org/prvEmployees/HTML/scienceproject/OnlineExhibits/ncw/Deacidification%20.html)

In January 1995, Congress authorized a two-year, $2 million Library of Congress Mass Deacidification Project to treat LoC 72,000 books. The process, known as the Bookkeeper process, impregnates paper with magnesium oxide particles that neutralize the acid in paper and leave an alkaline buffer behind. This process was an offshoot of the Library's 20-year effort to develop and refine another deacidification technology known as the diethyl zinc gaseous process.

For paper that is already too brittle to be helped by deacidification and even too brittle to be microfilmed or photocopied safely, institutes such as the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Library of Congress use another process called papersplitting. The LoC website describes this process saying, "In this process the brittle paper sheet is "sandwiched" by temporarily adhering two support papers, one on each side. Pulling apart the support papers splits the original paper. A new "core" paper can now be inserted between the original paper halves and the entire package is reassembled. The support layers can be removed in an enzyme bath and the original paper and inserted core paper are pressed and dried. Since washing and deacidification of the original paper is an integral part of the process, both the physical and chemical condition of the paper is improved." (from: http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/970421/deacid.html)

The Folger Shakespeare library describes it saying, "To prepare for paper splitting, support sheets are adhered to both sides of the paper with a gelatin adhesive. After the glue has set, but while the core of the paper is still moist, the support sheets can then be carefully pulled apart, splitting the core of the paper. Following this delicate process, the two halves of the paper are dried and reassembled with a sheet of Japanese paper sandwiched between them. The Japanese paper at the core is attached with an adhesive that is soluble only in cold water. After it dries, the support sheets can be removed in a bath of very hot water, dissolving the gelatin adhesive, but not the core adhesive." (from: http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=888)

Here are some images of the process from the Folger Shakespeare Library:








Both deacidification and papersplitting are time consuming, technically exacting and expensive processes. Frankly, so is reformatting brittle books via microfilming or photocopying. Thus, the danger to valuable collection items is still great since most libraries do not have either the personnel or financial resources to save their collections.

Ashburn, Norma L. (2001). Deacidification of Valuable Papers. Available
http://web2.ccpl.org/prvEmployees/HTML/scienceproject/OnlineExhibits/ncw/Deacidification%20.html

http://www.nhalliance.org/testimony/1988/88testimony-pbattin.html

Kelley, George B. (1989). Practical Aspects of Deacidification: pH and Alkaline Reserve. Alkaline Paper Advocate. 2(1). Available
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/abbey/ap/ap02/ap02-1/ap02-111.html

Dalrymple, Will. (1997). A Paper Chase: Technology Helps Library Save its Paper Collections. Library of Congress Information Bulletin. Available
http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/970421/deacid.html

Library of Congress. (2006). MDEP Paper Strengthening Pilot Program. Available
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/papertreng.html

Folger Shakespeare Library. Paper Splitting and the Trevelyon Manuscript. Available http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=888

Book conservation--first of all, how do we know what to conserve?

Book conservation goes beyond simple repair. Book conservation attempts to preserve as much of the original book materials as possible, possibly by treating them to lengthen their life (ex. by deacidification of paper) or by restoring them as closely as possible to the original condition. It is a much more time consuming and expensive process than simple book repair. So what are some guidelines to identify books that deserve conservation and preservation in Special Collections?

Most preservation librarians agree the age of the book is one factor to consider. Though not all librarians agree on what age is the 'magic age.' Some library policies require books published before 1830 in the USA should be offered to Special Collections. The argument for this date is based on the fact that most book printing in the USA before 1830 required a great deal of hand work, whereas after this date much of the process was more automated. Other policies use a date of 1850. And some base the date on when printing processes changed in each state. For European books, the magic age is normally books published before 1775.

But age of the book is not the only factor. Books pre-dating the 'magic' date may not be accepted in Special Collections if their condition is poor. And books that post-date the 'magic' date may be worthy of conservation and inclusion in Special Collections. There are several reason for this:

--Because the book is a first edition of an important work (important because the author is important or because the content is important--i.e. it is a landmark study on a given subject).

--A book may be valuable because it contains valuable graphics of some sort (color plates or hand illustrations).

--Books that were signed by the author, show evidence of ownership by an important person or that contain valuable annotations may merit inclusion in Special Collections.

--Books with rare, special or high quality binding, especially those which may be associated with known early binders and their shops or produced by high quality presses such as the Kelmscott, belong in Special Collections.

--Books in danger of mutilation, such as books of erotica or other controversial topics may require protection in Special Collections.

--Some limited editions merit inclusion in Special Collections. Many libraries have specific policies for retaining books in Special Collections.

--Some libraries collect books of regional or subject interest (i.e. a Florida library might collection all materials on or by Walt Disney).

--Some library policies require that books meeting some unusual physical description, such as under 4 inches in size, be held in Special Collections.

--Some libraries collect 20th century first editions.

So these are some of the reasons we may choose to preserve a book for Special Collections.

George A. Smathers Libraries. (1998). Guidelines for Identification of Materials for Rare Books. Available http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/inhouse/CMManual6-14.html

American Museum of Natural History. (2008). Definition of Rare Materials at the AMNH Library Available http://library.amnh.org/conservation/rare_materials.html

What do preservation librarians do? Book repair vs book conservation

A preservation librarian might be involved in both book repair and book conservation. The goal of book repair is to extend the useful life of a book. The primary purpose of book repair is to make the text usable--to make it readable--for a little while longer. The goal of conservation is to maintain the unique qualities of an important, or possibly irreplaceable, artifact. Readability of the text is only part of the value of such an item. Simply repairing a page or rebinding the pages into a new cover would destroy its value.

In this post, we will look at book repair. Book conservation will be the topic of the next series of posts.

So, how does a preservation librarian decide which books to repair, which to discard/replace with new and which to send out for repair?

The first, and most obvious, consideration is cost. If it costs more in labor and materials to repair it than it would to replace it, most of the time it's not worth repairing it. An exception to this rule might be if a patron is waiting for the book and replacing would take too long. A second consideration is the condition of the book. Will the repair consist of something simple like repairing torn pages? Something more complex like repairing a binding? If so, what sort of binding, sewn or glued? Are the pages brittle or the leather binding rotten? If the answer to the last question is yes--if the pages are brittle or the binding is rotten--this book is probably not a candidate for a simple, in house book repair. It may need replacement, or if it is valuable, proper conservation. But torn pages can be repaired in house, and in many cases, so can damaged binding.

So what is involved in book repair? Before we begin, some guidelines: Do not cause additional damage with your repair. In other words, first of all, don't use tape, acidified products, rubber glue etc. A good rule of thumb with the products you choose for repair is this: if the repair can't be undone without causing damage, it probably isn't a good repair. Second, don't attempt repairs you are not skilled enough to manage.

Here are some examples of repairs that can be done in house:

1) Cleaning of the pages or cover--this means removing dirt, dust, grease, insects in a way that does not remove paper or leather.

2) Fixing tears in pages--resecuring two edges of paper together again, usually with Japanese paper and starch paste (almost never with tape, since tape is not reversible, is acidic and causes paper to tear along the seam where it is placed. The only valid exception to the 'no tape' rule is situations where it is known that a book is not intended to remain in circulation long, for example children's books).

3) Tipping or hinging in a page--resecuring a page that has been torn from the binding--again, often with Japanese paper and a non-acidic adhesive.

4) Hinge repair--repairing a book whose text block has sagged causing the hinges to be loose.

5) Repairing book corners--anything from gluing down frayed fibers to repairing delaminated corners to reinforcing crushed corners.

6) Spine repair--cutting off the original spine, reinforcing it and replacing it on the book.

7) Reattaching a book block to its case--assuming the case is intact, this can be done with the appropriate adhesive.

There are numerous excellent manuals to describe how to perform all these procedures. Some examples are:

BonaDea, Artemis. (1995). Conservation Book Repair: A training manual. Alaska State Library. Available http://library.state.ak.us/hist/conman.html

Preservation Services. (1996). Simple Book Repair Manual. Dartmouth College Library. Available http://www.dartmouth.edu/~preserve/repair/repairindex.htm

Lower Hudson Conference. (1999). Emergency Planning and Recovery Techniques: A Handbook for Libraries, Historical Societies and Archives in the Hudson Valley. Available http://www.lowerhudsonconference.org/empart/Appendix/Book_Repair/book_repair.html

What do preservation librarians do? Disaster recovery

A disaster recovery plan is a plan for how to respond if a hurricane, tornado, fire, earthquake or other disaster hits the library. A good disaster recovery plan has, at minimum, these steps:

1) Survey the library to identify potentially problematic areas that may need special attention in the event of certain types of emergencies (ex. shelves next to windows or under sky lights that will need extra protection when preparing for a hurricane) and to identify portions of the collection that are most valuable or most subject to damage and that will, therefore, need the most immediate attention when the disaster is over and recovery can begin.

2) Identify the members of the Emergency Response team and their responsibilities. Make a plan for each eventuality, including instructions for what each person does before, during and after an emergency. The plan should include necessary phone numbers (i.e. maintenance numbers to report water leaks, the numbers of each team member etc). The plans should be distributed to all team members and communicated to all library staff, so they know what to do/who to contact if they see an emergency beginning to happen.

3) Gather the necessary equipment to protect and salvage collection materials in the event of a disaster. Such equipment might include: plastic sheeting to cover shelving, water diverters for covering areas of chronic water leaks, Rescubes (folding boxes made of corrugated polyethylene that do not absorb water from wet books. Books can be sent to freeze-drying facilities in Rescubes), non-woven polyester web or at least unprinted newspaper (for interleaving or wrapping damp books), blotting paper, freezer or waxed Paper (used to separate wet books for packing and shipping to freezer storage). Other obvious items include a wet/dry vac, mops, brooms, buckets, towels, flashlights and common tools such as a screwdriver, hammer and wrenches. A final vital item is a camera to document damage.

Once the emergency is over, quick action can save a major portion of the collection. The following are general emergency response guidelines:

1) First establish a work area, as large, cool and dry as possible. Do not move anything until such an area is established and prepared to receive items.

2) Second, identify the materials that are first priority to save, according to the emergency response plan, and recover them first. Whichever books have been knocked off the shelves in this area should be recovered first. Then move to materials that are still properly shelved.

3) Any materials that cannot be dried within 48 hours need to be protected until it can be dried. The best way to protect such materials is to prepare them for freezing and to freeze them. To prepare a wet book for freezing, pack it in a box, spine down, with wax paper wrapped around every other book to prevent them from sticking together. If the book is muddy, rinse it in a tray of clean water before wrapping it. Documents in file cabinets can be sent to the freezer while still in their drawers. Freezing can be done in a regular household freezer if the materials will fit (i.e. if only a few books were damaged by water) or in industrial freezers. Freeze drying is often the preferred method for drying materials even if they can be dried within 48 hours. Freeze drying causes the least amount of swelling and distortion of paper materials. It is often the only way to dry coated paper, because this paper sticks to almost everything when wet.

4) Care must be taken when moving wet items. Items like maps or pamphlets should be supported on plexiglass or some other sturdy material when being moved or rinsed of mud.

5) Leather and vellum are special cases when wet. Leather rarely survives a complete soaking, and even less so in the case of fire, where the heat causes shrinking and the water causes swelling. Leather that must be saved should be frozen as quickly as possible. Vellum is more durable. If dried using a method that does not use heat, vellum materials can often be restored.

6) Air drying may be a suitable response in the case of a small number of damp, but not soaking wet, items. Air dried items should be interleaved if they have a small number of pages and the binding will tolerate it.

American Library Association. (2008). Disaster Preparedness and Recovery. Available
http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/woissues/disasterpreparedness/distrprep.cfm

North Hall Library of Manfield University. (2006). Disaster Recovery Plan. Available
http://lib.mansfield.edu/pdfs/MU-DRP-PR.pdf

What do preservation librarians do? Designing appropriate security measures.

Another duty of preservation librarians is to design appropriate security measures for the library collection. Some of these security decisions might include:

• Establishing a policy to categorize materials in the collection into 'categories of risk.' These categories would range from 'high risk' items to 'no risk' items. High risk items are the library's treasures. These items would include materials of high cultural/historical/artistic value and would usually be stored in Special Collections and would not circulate. They would have strict ILL policies associated with them. Many libraries have guidelines to help librarians identify books currently in the general collection that might more appropriately be stored in Special Collections.
• Ensuring that higher risk items on display are housed in environmentally sound conditions.
• Ensuring that policies are in place for the handling of Special Collection items. Such policies might include: identifying/registering users entering the Special Collections area with a driver's license, inspection of users' property before entering or exiting the Special Collections area, restrictions on bulky outerwear and carrying backpacks or other large bags into the Special Collections area, a requirement of the use of gloves while handling materials, restrictions on the use of types of writing utensils within the Special Collections area, restrictions against photocopying, making rubbings or photographing material in Special Collections.
• Ensuring that higher risk items being transported for loan are moved/handled in an appropriate manner and will be secure in the loan location.
• Ensuring that the proper measures are in place to prevent theft or vandalism of items in the general collection (both circulating items and reserve items). Such measures might include camera, security gates, RFID tags etc. They might also include restricting access to non-public areas, such as collection storage areas, collection receiving and processing areas and Special Collections area.
  

Dizard, Robert. (1998). Safe and Sound: Protecting the Collections of the Library of Congress. Library of Congress Information Bulletin 57(6). Available
http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/security.html

American Library Association. (2001). Library Security Guidelines. Available
http://www.ala.org/ala/lama/lamapublications/librarysecurity.cfm

What do preservation librarians do? Developing non-damaging storage policies

Another task of preservation librarians is to develop non-damaging storage strategies. Some of the factors the preservation librarian might consider in this arena include:

1) Storing paper materials in acid-free alkaline boxes, folders, or alkaline mats. Alkaline paper or board can neutralize the effect of acidity.
2) The storage folder or box should also be stiff to provide adequate support to the items in storage or transport.
3) It is best to store delicate and/or oversized paper items flat, rather than folded, which can lead to creases and tears.
4) Do not use rubber bands, string or other binding materials to tie-up a book. Doing so might cut into brittle pages and damage fragile covers. A flat, soft ribbon (such as cotton twill tape), can be used to tie up the books as a temporary solution to avoid losing pages. For long term protection, an acid-free, alkaline box custom made to the dimensions of the book should be use to prevent the loss of pages.
5) Acid-free paper or polyester jackets should be wrapped around books with dry, flaking leather covers to prevent flakes from transferring to hands, other books or the book's own pages.

Library of Congress. (1998). Care, Handling and Storage of Books. Available
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/books.html

Library of Congress. (1998). Preserving Works on Paper. Available
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/paper.html