New Approaches to Preservation [with Discussion]

The preservation of library materials is a major concern of librarians. Increasing numbers of books are so badly deteriorated they cannot be circulated. Persons in many fields are experimenting with and searching for ways to improve preservation practices. The objectives of this discussion are to review existing technology and report upon new approaches that librarians may apply to preserving and restoring library paper materials. In the future, highly stable printing papers and book components will be more widely used in the manufacture of books. Present-day library collections, however, are largely composed of books printed on unstable paper. A substantial percentage of these books were not manufactured for permanent use, and libraries will continue to acquire significant works printed on impermanent paper. The novel preservation treatments presented in this report are applicable for most books already in libraries and for books to be printed on unstable papers of the foreseeable future. The preservation of books and records is not a new problem. Over 3,000 years ago, an Egyptian scribe reported that papyrus scrolls in his charge had to be dried and unrolled to determine whether the rain had washed off the ink writing [1, p. 18, line 12-p. 19, line 2; 21. Within a century or two after the invention of paper in China, the Chinese were treating paper to prevent attack by insects and book worms. By