Newsletter of the Section on Conservation Newsletter

December 1994
Issue 1
ISSN 1024-2414

Editor's note

Standing Committee in Havana

Budapest 1995

August 15-17

Beatrix Kastaly

Preservation Workshop in Havana

At the Preservation Workshop in Havana, Luis Frades, the first speaker, gave a presentation on the Conservation policy of the National Archives of Cuba which has in its safekeeping more than 25 km of original documents dating from the 16th century. Neglect, effects of natural aging and the harsh climatic conditions have resulted in a considerable degree of deterioration to the collections. Microfilming, fumigation and disinfection have been used to combat problems of deterioration and evaluation and study continue in an effort to improve the conservation of the collections.

Remarks made by Rodolfo Gomez Delgado are published in full in this newsletter.

Ramón Sánchez Chapellín, Head of the Print Works Conservation Division of the National Library of Venezuela then gave a report on the conservation of library and archive holdings which emphasized the implementation of an on-going program of conservation including procedures for cleaning and inspecting of materials.

Flossie A. Matenje, Senior Assistant Librarian at the University of Malawi Libraries in Zomba, Malawi then presented her paper entitled "Preservation and conservation of library and archival materials in Africa".

Finally, Wendy Smith, Lecturer in Paper Conservation at the National Centre for Cultural Heritage Science Studies at the University of Canberra, Australia, gave a report of the work carried out by her as part of the IFLA Robert Vosper Fellowship program for 1992/93. The presentation was entitled "Distance learning for library preservation" and described a series of distance learning training modules in preservation management, primarily in developing countries. The IFLA PAC Regional Centre in Australia will be participating in the implementation of the training package.

Conservation

The durability of microfiches, and hence the physical security of the information stored on them, depends mainly on ensuring that the microfiches are stored in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications and handled according to special rules designed to prevent their deterioration.

The quarters and media to be used for microfiche conservation must provide a stable temperature and relative humidity, and must minimize dust. (These factors will be analyzed below.) The necessary measures must be taken in the handling of microfilms so that they are not damaged. Therefore it is advisable that staff who handle them work with gloves (preferably cotton). It is also advisable not to remove their envelopes from them, or to put them on dirty, rough or hot surfaces.

Improper conservation of information records can cause yellow stains which, over time, destroy the film emulsion. Such stains usually occur when the film is exposed to pollution from industrial gases or to air that does not circulate inside the room.

Relative humidity and temperature are the factors that have the greatest impact on conservation of photographic materials. Inadequate conservation accelerates the aging of these materials.

Photographic materials based on photosensitivity are very sensitive to environmental conditions. Therefore it is necessary to take all climatological measures to extend their life.

For example, high relative humidity can in a short time destroy photographic records stored on film.

Systematic control of relative humidity is essential for the durability of these media. High relative humidity accelerates discoloration, yellowing, mold growth and rust formation. But the most important thing is to ensure that the climatological indicators in the conservation room are stable and undergo no cyclical changes.

High temperatures (above 30*C) in storage locations of photographic media also be damaging. Chemical reactions increase as the temperature rises. Temperature changes cause the materials to expand and contract, inflicting various types of physical damage on films.

Humidity and temperature can help preserve or destroy information media, depending on how they are regulated in the storage vault.

Static results from relative humidity and temperature and is as harmful as either of these. Static electricity (electrical charge at rest) can damage stored film through different reactions. It is very difficult to determine when static is present, but we know that it has a wide range of action that varies with the climate, and can be controlled only through the elimination of abrupt changes in temperature and relative humidity.

In our country the agencies responsible for storage of documentation on microfiches or microfilm must establish protective methods to development disinfect these media before they are conserved. This includes fumigation to destroy environmental agents present in the air - such as peroxides, ozone, sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxide - that damage films by oxidizing the photographic image, along with any other types of bacteria that attack film.

Film can be fumigated with formaldehyde (formol plus permanganate) to protect it from any types of bacteria present in the environment, and metal archives intended for conservation can be washed with 1% formol. It is also wise to sample the environment with the existing equipment, in order to determine what to do in case of adverse conditions in the vault.

To take security measures to the extreme, film can be processed in vacuum chambers and sprayed with the above-mentioned chemicals, in order to eliminate harmful external agents once and for all.

During the film manufacturing process, which affects conservation, it is necessary to take care in the various procedures before and during the development process. Before we must ensure that no dust particles are present, since they adhere to the film emulsion and it is not possible to eliminate the damage caused by indiscriminate rubbing of this medium or by an over-dry room, which produces static in the microfilm and results in a characteristic veil.

Microfilm conservation is a key factor for the archival collection. Therefore it is necessary to ensure that the climatization guidelines are not violated, in order to prolong the life of these media.

Conservation recommendations

• Conservation facilities must be free of contamination such as dust, oxidizing agents and industrial gases in general. It is also necessary to comply strictly with the climatization requirements in such facilities, and install equipment that will maintain a temperature of 15 to 18*C and a relative humidity of 40-50%.

• The facilities will be equipped with suitable measuring instruments to monitor these environmental conditions.

• Microfilms should be stored in filing cabinets or shelves made of metal or, preferably, plastic, but never of wood or cardboard, since these tend to absorb moisture.

• Original microfilms (silver halide) should not be stored together with diazos in the same depository, since possible chemical reactions between them will affect their composition and hence their quality.

• Films must also be protected from sunlight.

• Moreover, envelopes of chemically neutral paper should be used for film storage.

• The condition of microfiches should be checked at least every six months. This is done through random sampling according to the applicable guidelines.

• Without violating these recommend-ations, it would be easy to carry out a study of the properties related to the stability and behaviour of these media in storage facilities. This is a vitally important activity.

• There are very effective methods for determining when film is undergoing some alteration and what solutions are available to eliminate the damage. Let's look at two very simple but effective methods.

• Visual inspection: This is the simplest method, but potentially one of the most effective for examining these types of photographic materials.

• The staff responsible for conservation of photographic records is becoming skilled at evaluating the condition of materials under their care, inspecting cracks in the emulsion, breaks, tears and missing parts, along with image discoloration, fading or yellowing. The more familiar the staff becomes with the visual inspection, the better will be the results obtained.

• Densitometry: A densitometer, along with an optical microscope, is a very important instrument in a photographic-record conservation laboratory. The densitometer enables us to measure and monitor changes in the tone scale of negatives. Therefore it is indispensable for monitoring the accelerated aging of film, along with the work of chemical restoration. It also makes it easier for us to carry out the negative-contrast test daily, in order to enter the necessary data into the microfilm camera.

• So far we have looked at some very important considerations for the conservation of photographic records. We have seen that the longevity of such materials depends on control of relative humidity, air pollution, temperature and exposure to light. It is very important to choose a suitable container for the microfilm so that the valuable information stored on it will not be lost.

Announcement

PRESERVING OUR AUDIO-VISUAL HERITAGE
Technology's Role in Preserving the Memory of the world

FURTHER INFORMATION:

New Horizons, Designer Bookbinders Oxford

August 31st-September 3rd, 1994

Designer Bookbinders is the principal society in Great Britain devoted to the art and craft of hand bookbinding, but enjoying an international reputation sufficient to attract attendees from 22 countries to its second decennial conference. The Society's objects are to maintain and improve standards of design and technique, and to promote public interest in fine bookbinding. To further these objects, the Society organizes national and international exhibitions, seminars, lectures, meetings, master classes, and an annual bookbinding competition, and publishes relevant materials. The membership consists of bookbinders, teachers of bookbinding, archivists, librarians, conservators, collectors and booksellers. In spite of the Society's focus on hand bookbinding (new approaches, techniques, materials, equipment and influences), its activities and publications offer much of interest and value to the library profession, particularly in understanding the history of book structure and other factors to be considered in repair and conservation work. Contact with librarians and conservators attempting to preserve the printed records of civilization likewise enables book-artists to benefit from expertise and knowledge in cognate professions.

The Society's strengths in repair and conservation work have, in fact, prompted requests for a new name to reflect the broader aspects of bookbinding, and to establish a standard in conservation binding which members have to meet to be accorded Fellowship status (presently only awarded for reaching the recognized standard of excellence in design).

The following report on the 1994 conference is limited to those presentations of interest in the fields of preservation, conservation and restoration (though this inevitably ignores many high-quality sessions on developments and achievements in expressive design).

The highlight of the six plenary session lectures, and one which prompted a standing ovation, was Dr. J.A. Szirmai's presentation on "Lessons from the Archaeology of Bookbinding", selected from his forthcoming history of bookbinding techniques. Dr. Szirmai's research has been conducted in a neglected area of study - the evolution of binding structures, and the relationship between these and the book function. He castigated unnecessary restoration and unnecessary binding or re-binding from the 15th century onwards, which have resulted in the loss of materials, and made some books impossible to read, thus impeding scholarly research. He characterized the outcome as "Operation successful but the patient died", as binders throughout the centuries responded to the demands of rich patrons, publishers and libraries, while disregarding the functions of book structure. It was refreshing to hear a prize-winning designer-bookbinder urging his fellows not to rejuvenate historical materials, but to respect and understand them, including their right to be old. Dr. Szirmai's book will surely become a set text for modern conservators to help them decide which structures should be avoided as a potential source of damage, and which procedures and ideas of the past deserve to be saved from oblivion.

Andrew Hoyem, publisher, typographic designer, and fine printer, also exhorted the designer bookbinders not to forget the utilitarian side of binding. Traditional functions of binding may be subverted if the epidermis does not protect the living tissue within.

The timetable permitted attendees to indulge in no less than 6 out of a veritable smorgasbord of 22 seminars and demonstration sessions by leading practitioners from the U.K., Eire, France, Germany, Canada, the U.S.A. and Australia. People interested in conservation had the opportunity to study, in 2' x 3' poster board format, a compendium of 60 sewing methods compiled and identified by Betsy Palmer Eldridge for the Sewing Chapter of the Book Conservation Catalogue, a project of the Book and Paper Group of the American Institute for Conservation; to examine experiments with protective enclosures created by Hedi Kyle; and to see Don Etherington demonstrate one simple and inexpensive type of his "phased preservation" techniques with minimal intervention, namely repairing broken leather joints using strong Japanese paper. In a seminar on "Book Conservation in Oxford", Nancy Bell covered the preservation and conservation needs of five college collections, and how issues are being addressed through a co-operative programme in an historic setting where architectural importance compounds the problems. Lucy Blaxland followed with an overview of the work undertaken in the Paper Conservation Section of the Bodleian Library.

Gary Frost and Priscilla Spitler described product innovations at Booklab in Austin, Texas, and forecast the merging of printing and binding into a single craft. Gary elaborated on views he had expressed to members in 1993. He visualizes the management of the brittle and other book preservation problems in terms of identifying a paper original with a mastering role - a "leaf master" prepared and retained primarily for production of copies - rather than the conversion of paper collections to a virtual preservation library in electronic form.

On a more traditional, but nonetheless experimental and forward-looking, plane, James Brockman provided food for thought for binders, conservators, and framers of standards in these fields. His concern to make an indestructible book has led him to re-think the rigid spine, and to abandon the text block shaped by the binder to produce a convex spine which becomes concave when the book is opened, with enormous strains imposed on the structure. In his own words, "How much more sensible [it is] to fix the spine in a concave, permanently thrown up shape - if the spine is unable to move, it is unable to break".

The exhibit of bindings by the Fellows, Licentiates and some of the speakers, included the work commissioned by the British Library which demonstrates the achievement of one designer-bookbinder/conservator mixing traditional finishing and very modern structures: The Doves Bindery by Marianne Tidcombe (London, The British Library, 1991), bound 1994 by James Brockman with rigid concave spine.

Successful in its intention to forge links with the international field of bookbinding and generate new waves of influence, and aided by the excellent organization by a professional company (Millstream Europe Ltd.), the 1994 conference left most delegates expressing the hope that they would not have to wait another ten years for further deliberations of Designer Bookbinders.

Additional information about the Society can be obtained from:-

Comments, Queries, Suggestions?

Section on Conservation

Secretary:
Ralph W. Manning