DOCSLIB.ORG

A Comparison of Preservation Management Strategies for Paper Collections

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Comparison of Preservation Management Strategies for Paper Collections Studies in Conservation ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ysic20 A Comparison of Preservation Management Strategies for Paper Collections Cristina Duran-Casablancas , Matija Strlič , Gabriëlle Beentjes , Gerrit de Bruin , Jaap van der Burg & Josep Grau-Bové To cite this article: Cristina Duran-Casablancas , Matija Strlič , Gabriëlle Beentjes , Gerrit de Bruin , Jaap van der Burg & Josep Grau-Bové (2020): A Comparison of Preservation Management Strategies for Paper Collections, Studies in Conservation, DOI: 10.1080/00393630.2020.1790264 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2020.1790264 © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group Published online: 14 Jul 2020. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 404 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ysic20 STUDIES IN CONSERVATION https://doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2020.1790264 ORIGINAL RESEARCH OR TREATMENT PAPER A Comparison of Preservation Management Strategies for Paper Collections Cristina Duran-Casablancas1, Matija Strlič1, Gabriëlle Beentjes2, Gerrit de Bruin2, Jaap van der Burg3 and Josep Grau-Bové1 1Institute for Sustainable Heritage, University College London, London, UK; 2Nationaal Archief, The Hague, Netherlands; 3Helicon Conservation Support, Zoeterwoude, Netherlands ABSTRACT KEYWORDS This paper proposes the use of simulation modelling to explore the effect of conservation Preservation management; strategies on the preservation of paper collections. Agent-based simulation was chosen as the preventive conservation; simulation approach in order to capture the individual characteristics of the collections, their deacidification; simulation size, and the values of pH and degree of polymerisation (DP) for individual items. This modelling; agent-based ff modelling; archives and approach enabled the simulation of the chemical degradation of di erent types of collections library collections during their lifetime and under different preservation scenarios. We conducted a series of computational experiments on three types of collections, acidic, modern, and mixed, to explore the effect of slightly lowering the temperature and relative humidity in the repositories, the deacidification of part of the collection at different rates, and the delay in making the decision to start a deacidification treatment. The results indicated that a small change, lowering the storage conditions from 18°C to 16°C and from 50% to 40% RH, can protect up to 30% of the collection from reaching the critical DP of 300 within a time horizon of 500 years. On the other hand, to obtain similar results through deacidification, 45% of the mixed collection and 70% of the acidic collection should be deacidified within a period of 100 years. The experiments also indicated that better results are obtained when the priorities for deacidification are acidic records with a pH value below 5. This study shows that modelling the heterogeneity of the collections can support preservation management, particularly if the concern is not the preservation of a part of the collection but the collection as a whole. Introduction the lifetime expectancy of paper with a certain initial Acid-catalysed hydrolysis has been identified as the degree of polymerisation (DP) and pH value in most important degradation mechanism in paper different environmental conditions (Strlič et al. (Zou, Uesaka, and Gurnagul 1996; Zervos 2010). This 2015b). If data is available on the DP and pH of individ- is particularly the case for collections dating from the ual items, then the expected lifetime expectancy of the nineteenth century when lower quality wood fibres whole of the collection can be calculated for long-term and alum-rosin sizing were introduced into paper preservation planning. Whereas surface pH measure- manufacture, resulting in acidic pH values of paper. In ment does not require sophisticated equipment, the order to manage the useful lifetime of collections con- measurement of the DP is complex, and requires taining acidic paper, preservation strategies have been destructive sampling. However, in the last decade proposed, consisting of a single or combined appli- advances have been made with the development of cation of two preservation measures: lowering the a tool that derives DP values from the correlation storage temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH), between near infrared (NIR) spectra and analytical and the deacidification of (part of) the collection. data obtained on a reference collection (Strlič, Kolar, In order to support preservation planning, research and Lichtblau 2007), and commercial initiatives have has been conducted to quantify the effect of these become available that can be used during collection preservation options on the lifetime of collections. surveys (Duran-Casablancas et al. 2019). Regarding the study of the effect of changing the On the other hand, research has also shown that storage conditions, different models have been pro- deacidification can increase the lifetime of paper by a posed to simulate the degradation of paper based on factor of 3 (Balazic et al. 2007). Although these results the Arrhenius equation (Ligterink and Di Pietro 2018; show the effectiveness of deacidification, they do not Tétreault et al. 2019). One of the proposed models is necessarily provide information on how it could be the damage function for acidic catalysed degradation applied strategically, i.e. to optimise the preservation of cellulose along with isochrone charts which show outcome. Usually, a (small) part of the collection is CONTACT Cristina Duran-Casablancas [email protected] Institute for Sustainable Heritage, University College London, Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0NN, UK © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 2 C. DURAN-CASABLANCAS ET AL. selected for deacidification, depending on the available across a population. In our case, if the population is budget. However, the benefits of such a strategy on the an archival or library collection, then agents are a whole of the collection and whether the same results single or a group of inventory numbers. Another impor- could be obtained by other strategies have not been tant element in ABS is the ‘environment’ which affects explored yet. the agent ’s behaviour. In the case of heritage collec- In view of this, the focus of this paper was to explore tions environment, it may refer to the storage con- the effect of preservation options, in particular deacid- ditions or other preservation measures. ification, when they are tested in realistic scenarios, By using ABS, we were able to conduct simulations taking into account the type and size of the collection. of what-if scenarios with a high level of detail, where First, we analysed the importance of the selection cri- each parameter regarding the selection of the agents teria for deacidification. Although paper with pH to be treated, the level of treatment, and the timespan below 7 is eligible for deacidification, institutions opt of the treatment could be adjusted at initialisation of to prioritise papers with a lower pH value, with 5.5 as the run or any given timestep during the run. the upper limit (Porck 2006; Shenton 2006). Similarly, some institutions would only select records for the deacidification treatment when paper is still strong Methodology and flexible enough, excluding brittle paper that will Modelling not benefit from the treatment as long as strengthen- ing is not part of the treatment (Grossenbacher The first step of the modelling process consisted of the 2006). After identifying the best selection criteria for creation of a population of agents. In this model, the deacidification, we explored how similar preservation population is the whole archive or library collection, outcomes can be achieved either by deacidifying or while agents are the inventory numbers (archival by improving the environmental conditions of records or books). A population can be created with storage. Lastly, we assessed the long-term effect of any desired number of agents. However, in order to delaying the decision of implementing a certain preser- make the simulation computationally efficient, but vation strategy. still close to the daily practice in institutions, we A model to examine these questions should meet created a population of 2000 agents. This implies that two requisites: firstly, the degradation processes as in the case of a population representing a collection well as the implementation of preservation options of 50,000 linear metres, an agent is equivalent to 25 should be simulated over time, and secondly, the metres of archival records, and that the minimal model should capture the individual characteristics of amount of metres to be selected for deacidification items of the collection. In order to capture the per year is 25 metres, or in the case of a collection of dynamic behaviour of the collections over time, we 15,000 linear metres, one agent is 7.5 metres. used mathematical modelling, specifically computer Then the individual characteristics of the agents
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Preservation Evolution a Review of Preservation Literature, 1999–2001
    47(2) LRTS 59 The Preservation Evolution A Review of Preservation Literature, 1999–2001 JeanAnn Croft The literature representing 1999 to 2001 reveals that the preservation field is absorbed in an evolution. The literature demonstrates that trusted practices are changing to improve outcomes and further advance the preservation field. Simultaneously, in the wake of the digital revolution, preservation professionals dream about merging traditional and digital technologies in the hope that both long-term preservation and enhanced access will be achieved. This article attempts to relate the values of the discipline in order to inspire further research and persuade more work in formulating hypotheses to integrate preservation the- ory and practice. Finally, this overview of the literature will communicate the scope of the preservation problem, clarify misconceptions in the field, and docu- ment areas that warrant further investigation and refinement. he literature representing 1999 to 2001 reveals that the preservation field is Tcontinually absorbed in an evolution. This literature review examines the trends and customs of the preservation field as documented in the literature, and attempts to relate the values of the discipline in order to inspire further research and persuade more work in formulating hypotheses to integrate preservation theory and practice. Finally, this depiction of the literature will communicate the scope of the preservation problem, clarify misconceptions in the field, and document areas that warrant further investigation and refinement. Following up the preceding preservation literature reviews that have been pub- lished in this journal, this work provides a sampling of the preservation litera- ture and will not include book reviews, annual reports, preservation project announcements, technical leaflets, and strictly specialized conservation litera- ture.
    [Show full text]
  • Mass Deacidification of Library and Archive Materials
    Columbia University Libraries Mass Deacidification of Library and Archive Materials Final Report to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation September 2009 Principal Investigator: James G. Neal Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian Columbia University 535 West 114th Street New York, New York 10027 212.854.2247 Grant Period: May 1, 2008-July 31, 2009 Reporting Period: May 1, 2008-July 31, 2009 Mass Deacidification of Library and Archive Materials Final Report to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Columbia University Libraries received an award of $27,500 in April 2008 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support a survey and report of the need for the deacidification of newly acquired print volumes in major research libraries. The study group included members from CUR, NYU, Yale, and the Mellon Foundation. In March 2009, the Mellon Foundation approved a no-cost extension through July 31, 2009 to host the originally scheduled March planning meeting in April and to allow additional time for the university's account department to process and pay all expenses charged to the grant. The result is the attached report, Mass Deacidifcation: The Needfor a National Program. The principal investigator, Jim Neal, and Columbia's Offce of the Controller worked together to complete the Financial Report, which was signed and submitted directly from the Office of the Controller. As indicated in the Financial Report, this grant was underspent by $6,647 (including interest income of $198), primarily due to significant savings in travel costs. A check in the amount of $6,647 wil be refunded to the Mellon Foundation.
    [Show full text]
  • MUSEUM ARCHIVIST Is Issued Twice a Year by the Museum Archives Section of the Society of American Archivists
    MMuusseeuumm AArrcchhiivviisstt Newsletter of the Museum Archives Section Society of American Archivists Volume 16, Issue 1 February 2002 FROM THE CHAIR Dear Section Members: The Museum Archives Section has had a dynamic year, and the following report submitted to SAA Director Susan Fox will show you the length and breadth of our activities. -------------------------- ANNUAL REPORT 2001 Museum Archives Manual At our annual meeting in DC in August (64 members attended), the Archives Manual Committee reported that the second edition should be in press some time next year. A general call for forms and other examples for the Manual's Resource Guide was held. Chapter authors also met in DC for an editorial consultation. Editorial duties have now passed to Deborah Wythe at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Many thanks to Ann Marie Przybyla for her hard work on the volume. Ann Marie will continue work as a contributor. Laurie Baty of the Publications Committee reported that the section had been given a publication deadline extension to March 2002. (Continued on page 3) Inside This Issue: • SECTION BUSINESS Pages 1-12 • NEWS, NOTES, & ANNOUNCEMENTS Pages 13-15 • EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES Pages 16-19 • CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Pages 20-26 MUSEUM ARCHIVIST is issued twice a year by the Museum Archives Section of the Society of American Archivists. News items, letters to the editor, and comments from the archives community are welcome. An online version of this newsletter is also available (see page 4 for details). Deadlines for submissions are the 1st of June and the 1st of December. Please send all submissions to the newsletter editor, Sammie Morris, at [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • CONNECTING to COLLECTIONS PENNSYLVANIA a Five-Year Preservation Plan for Pennsylvania PROJECT OVERVIEW
    CONNECTING TO COLLECTIONS PENNSYLVANIA a five-year preservation plan for Pennsylvania PROJECT OVERVIEW Imagining Our Future: Preserving Pennsylvania’s Collections, published in August 2009, includes an in-depth analysis of conditions and needs at Pennsylvania’s collecting institutions, a detailed preservation plan to improve collections care throughout the state, and a five-year implementation timetable (2010-2015). The analysis concludes that many of Pennsylvania’s most important historic holdings must be considered at risk. Millions of items comprise these collections, and the financial resources available to care for them are limited and shrinking. Pennsylvania is a state vibrant with world-class art museums, libraries, historic sites. Arts and culture play a substantial role in creating business, jobs, and bringing revenue into the state and stewardship of its artifacts is too important —to the state, to the people, to the history of country—to be ignored. This call to action is a rallying cry for all future generations of Pennsylvanians. With generous support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and in close partnership with three leading preservation organizations, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), the Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations (PFMHO), and LYRASIS, the Conservation Center for Arts & Historic Artifacts organized and led the assessment and planning process. The project was capably guided by a Task Force with representatives from the Office of (PA) Commonwealth Libraries, the Western Pennsylvania Museum Council, the Pennsylvania Caucus of the Mid- Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, Pennsylvania State University, the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University.
    [Show full text]
  • Master Plan for the Preservation of and Access to Hingham' S Historical Collections
    Master Plan for the Preservation of and Access to Hingham’ s Historical Collections December 2010 Cynthia G. Swank, CA, CRM Peter J. Parker INLOOK GROUP Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................1 Master Plan Summary..............................................3 Hingham History Hub.........................................5 Archives and Records Management Services [ARMS]. 7 Funding and Estimated Costs. .................................9 Comments about Summary of Recommendations and Work Plans. 1 1 Table 1 Summary of Recommendations & Participants’ Involvement.. 1 2 Table 2 Work Plan - Hingham Historical Society. 1 8 Table 3 Work Plan - Hingham Public Library. 2 1 Table 4 Work Plan - Hingham Town Clerk, Historical Commission / Historical Districts Commission, School Department. 2 5 Approximate Costs - Detail.........................................3 0 Federal Grant Funding Agencies....................................3 3 Federal Grants for Similar Projects in Massachusetts or Nearby States. ..............................................3 7 Similar Efforts in Other Municipalities. 5 7 Master Plan for the Preservation of and Access to Hingham’s Historical Collections Introduction In 2008 the Hingham Public Library and Hingham Historical Society began a planning effort to ensure the preservation of and access to their collections of historical materials. With the encouragement of the Board of Selectmen, three other participants with significant holdings and interest in the project joined the effort:
    [Show full text]
  • IAQ2010 Th 9 Indoor Air Quality Meeting
    IAQ2010 th 9 Indoor Air Quality meeting Chalon-sur-Saône, France 21-23 April 2010 2 Foreword The art and science of conservation We are proud and happy to have been chosen as the location for this 9th edition of the international conference of the IAQ Working Group - IAQ2010 which is taking place in France for the first time. Burgundy is a region which is famous for its heritage, its gastronomy, its wine production and its bucolic landscapes. All in all, a land which invites discovery. Chalon-sur-Saône has all of these. Our town has a strategic geographical position, a past punctuated by illustrious events and personalities, who contributed to a fascinating history. The birthplace of photography, we are quite naturally creating a centre of Higher Education and Research and Development geared towards new technologies of image and sound. We are favouring the establishment of businesses in the forefront of these areas which offer high added value. Conscious of the importance of the links with our cultural and historical past, our policy is to wish to prevent long-term degradation. Safeguarding our heritage is a major challenge for us all. Let us not forget that it constitutes the material of history for future generations. In a way, we are its guardians. By your work you are today contributing to conserve this heritage, to be able to pass it on for tomorrow. To this end you have chosen to work together to share, to make the most of your experience and your knowledge. IAQ is a positive and interactive coming together which is absolutely necessary when we know the irreversible damage which an inadequate environment can cause on collections, objects, works of art, archives or any historic building.
    [Show full text]
  • Book Preservation Technologies (Part 3 Of
    Introduction PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY Millions of books at the Library of Congress and other libraries around the world are deteriorating. What Is The Library of Congress? Many books published since the mid- 1800s are cur- ● The largest center for information storage in the rently, or will soon become, too fragile to handle. world. The paper these books are written on becomes brittle ● Collections include 19 million volumes and 58 over time and crumbles. The primary cause of this million pieces of stored data on phonograph deterioration is acid. Chemicals used in the manu- records, motion picture reels, computer tapes, facture of paper from wood pulp, which stay in the manuscripts, maps, prints, and photographs. paper, convert to a variety of acids and slowly de- ● Three Canons of Selection established in the stroy the strength of the paper’s fibers over time. 1940s to define the collections: —materials necessary to the Congress and to Other factors such as oxidation, varying or extreme the U.S. Government officers in performance temperature and humidity, exposure to light, air of their duties; pollutants in storage areas, and the amount of use —materials that express and record the life and also contribute to the destruction of the books. achievements of the people of the United States; and The Library of Congress has been working to —records of other societies and peoples, espe- solve the problem of acid paper in books since the cially those of most immediate concern to the early 1970s, developing a mass deacidification proc- people of the United States. ess that would inhibit the deterioration of book pa- ● Less than 25 percent of the collection is in per.
    [Show full text]
  • Preservation in the Digital Age a Review of Preservation Literature, 2009–10
    56(1) LRTS 25 Preservation in the Digital Age A Review of Preservation Literature, 2009–10 Karen F. Gracy and Miriam B. Kahn This paper surveys research and professional literature on preservation-related topics published in 2009 and 2010, identifies key contributions to the field in peri- odicals, monographs, and research reports, and provides a guide to the changing landscape of preservation in the digital age. The authors have organized the reviewed literature into five major areas of interest: tensions in preservation work as libraries embrace digital resources, mass digitization and its effects on collec- tions, risk management and disaster response, digital preservation and curation, and education for preservation in the digital age. his review article critically examines the literature of preservation published T during a two-year period, 2009–10. Almost a decade has passed since the last review of the preservation literature appeared in Library Resources and Technical Services, covering the period of 1999–2001.1 In the interim, the evolu- tion of the preservation field noted by Croft has accelerated, encompassing whole areas of practice that were in their infancy at the turn of the twenty-first century. In her review, Croft identified ten areas of emphasis in the literature: clarifying preservation misconceptions triggered by the publication of Nicholson Baker’s Double Fold; the continued importance of the artifact in the wake of new digital reformatting technologies; remote storage; mass deacidification; physical treat- ment
    [Show full text]
  • Brittle Paper
    2/2/2016 preservationhistory ­ Brittle Paper Brittle Paper (/Brittle+Paper) Edit 0 (/Brittle+Paper#discussion) 11 (/page/history/Brittle+Paper) … (/page/menu/Brittle+Paper) Brittle Books, Bad Paper The “brittle book” phenomenon has been one of the main preoccupations of preservationists and conservationists since the 1930s, but it has roots far deeper. Resulting from changes in papermaking that developed in the modern era, papers containing the (acidic) cause of their own early demise worried librarians and book lovers alike. Many of the preservation trends of the 20th century have emerged in response to the “inherent vice” of papers produced from the 1850s through the 1950s Why this paper crisis developed and how the library community has attempted to deal with the consequences of acidic paper is the subject of this section. Papermaking and the Creation of Acidic Paper In order to understand why brittle paper became such an issue of concern to preservationists, it is essential to learn a few basics about the papermaking process and how it has changed over time. Certain kinds of paper do not present serious or specific conservation issues because the processes used to produce them have created a relatively stable paper. The major concerns of preservation­minded librarians developed out of paper produced beginning in the 1850s (approximately), which were created using chemicals and processes that contain the seeds of embrittlement and can greatly shorten the life of documents printed on them. The cellulose content of paper and the chemicals used to process it have much to do with how well the paper ages and how long it remains in good, usable condition.
    [Show full text]
  • Mass Deacidification: a Preservation Option for Libraries
    World Library and Information Congress: 69th IFLA General Conference and Council 1-9 August 2003, Berlin Code Number: 030-E Meeting: 100. Preservation and Conservation Simultaneous Interpretation: - Mass Deacidification: a Preservation Option for Libraries Roberta Pilette Yale University Libraries Yale University New Haven, USA Abstract: The library and archive worlds are inundated with acidic paper. Institutions have been trying to ensure the long-term preservation of items on acidic paper for years. Now there are dependable, effective, reasonably priced commercial vendors that can neutralize the acids without time consuming and limiting selection criteria. But how to chose where to start and what to send? This paper outlines the physical selection criteria being used by most institutions in the United States sending materials to a commercial vendor for mass deacidification. Discusses different approaches in how to select where to start deacidifying in a large collection and what other workflow issues must be considered when including mass deacidification as another preservation tool in preserving our cultural heritages. The library and archive worlds are inundated with acidic paper. While it is true that many areas of the world have made great strides in producing alkaline paper, there are still many other areas that are producing paper that would not be considered a good choice for permanence. Ultimately this acidic paper becomes brittle and unusable. Unfortunately this acidic paper has been and is used in a wide variety of materials that libraries have acquired in the past, are still acquiring, and will continue to acquire into the future. All acidic papers do not become brittle at the same rate, but it is know that even the most flexible and whitest of these papers left in an acidic state will deteriorate and become brittle.
    [Show full text]
  • Application of Ethylene Oxide Gas and Argon Gas Mixture System Method for Scale Deacidification of Cellulose-Based Cultural Heritage Collections
    coatings Article Application of Ethylene Oxide Gas and Argon Gas Mixture System Method for Scale Deacidification of Cellulose-Based Cultural Heritage Collections Yunpeng Qi, Zhihui Jia *, Yajun Zhou, Yong Wang, Guangtao Zhao, Xiaolian Chao, Huiping Xing * and Yuhu Li * School of Materials Science and Engineering, Engineering Research Center of Historical Cultural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China; [email protected] (Y.Q.); [email protected] (Y.Z.); [email protected] (Y.W.); [email protected] (G.Z.); [email protected] (X.C.) * Correspondence: [email protected] (Z.J.); [email protected] (H.X.); [email protected] (Y.L.); Tel.: +86-029-8153-0715 (Z.J. & H.X. & Y.L.) Abstract: Deacidification plays an important role in the conservation of paper-based cultural heritage objects. Herein, a novel approach for the conservation of scale paper-based cultural heritage objects is proposed using a mixture of argon and ethylene oxide (EO-Ar) for the first time. The optimum process conditions for deacidification of ethylene oxide and argon mixture system are determined by orthogonal testing. To evaluate the stabilization effect of paper treated with EO-Ar, the degradation of the mechanical properties (tensile strength, folding endurance and tearing strength tests) of paper after artificial aging was evaluated. The results show that the treated paper had better durability with respect to tensile strength, folding endurance and tearing strength. Additionally, thermal Citation: Qi, Y.; Jia, Z.; Zhou, Y.; stability, crystallinity and fiber wall thickness increased after EO-Ar treated, which was determined Wang, Y.; Zhao, G.; Chao, X.; Xing, H.; by scanning electron microscope (SEM), diffraction of X-rays (XRD), and thermo gravimetric (TG) Li, Y.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Deacidification in the Library's Preservation Program
    The Role of Deacidification in the Library’s Preservation Program Thomas H. Teper Associate Dean of Libraries for Collections Outline • What is deacidification? • Why was it developed? • Deacidification’s Goals • Use of Deacidification in Research Libraries – The Carl Sandburg Collection: A Case Study • The Ongoing Role of Deacidification in Research Libraries What is Deacidification? • Deacidification – a process that artificially elevates the pH of acidic paper. The treatment neutralizes the acids in paper and leaves an alkaline buffer. – Traditionally completed during intensive conservation treatment of single items. – Although many processes were developed, the greatest advocate was William J. Barrow, a pioneering scholar that completed his research in the 1940’s – 1960’s What is Mass Deacidification? • Mass Deacidification – The treatment of large quantities of acidic library and archival materials with the intent of neutralizing acids within the paper and creating an alkaline buffer. • What motivated the development of mass deacidification? Industrialism & the Rise of Literacy • Increased need for reading materials spurred innovations that sped the production of paper, books, and other reading materials. Causes of Embrittlement • An old story… – The end of rag paper…. – Industrialized Production – Inherent Vice – External contaminants • Additional Factors – Poor environmental conditions Brittle Books Crisis • In the course of a few decades, the Brittle Books Crisis emerged… Goals of Deacidification • Library of Congress – Neutralize
    [Show full text]