Study on Mass Conservation Techniques for Treatment of Library and Archives Material

This document outlines the present state of development in mass restoration of library and archive materials and relates it to the economic, technical, and aesthetic aspects of various conservation and restoration methods, and discusses their implications for the formation of preservation policies in libraries. Ill effects to library materials caused by mechanical, biological, and chemical damage are discussed, and the current situation in libraries is briefly described. The following methods of conservation are then explored: (1) the diethylzinc (DEZ) method, which is not yet ready for use; (2) the Wei T'o non-acqueous book deacidification system method which was invented and developed in Canada; (3) the deacidification methods of the Bibliotheque Nationale (the French National Library in Paris), which are similar to the Wei T'o methods; (4) the methods being developed by the British National Library in London; (5) the Viennese method, an aqueous immersion treatment for newsprint that simultaneously neutralizes and strengthens the paper; and (6) several additional experimental methods. Four methods of restoration currently in use are also described: the wet treatment; leafcasting; the paper-splitting process; and the lamination process.