ブックタイトルConservation and Restoration of Western Paper

概要

Conservation and Restoration of Western Paper

storage boxes or envelopes, or by utilizinga polyester-film encapsulation method.The second step involves assigning thedocuments priority, considering their value,usage and condition, and then systematicallynecessary measures are taken, in accordancewith conservation division capacity. This canbe also called application of a preventiveconservation method.In IFLA Principles of Conservation andRestoration already mentioned above, theterm“conservation”means somethingpreventive. Although document conservationtended to be regarded as treatment appliedto degraded and damaged documents upto that time, the Principles stated that, incontrast, in libraries, preventive measuresas well as curative measures are important.This is similar recognition to the phaseconservation approaches.After issuing the IFLA Principles 1979Version, IFLA revised the Principles in 1986and then issued the third revised version in1998. 7, 8 As the revisions progressed, the roleof prevention has become more important.In the 1986 version, the word restorationwas removed from the original title, andemphasis was placed on the conservationmeasures that should be applied by generallibrarians and archivists, and not byconservators. The title of the third revisedversion is IFLA Principles for the care andHandling of Library Materials, whichshows that it focuses more on conservationduties conducted by librarians as theirpractical business. The deep considerationof preventive measures can be observedfrom the Japanese translated title of thisvolume, IFLA Principles for the PreventiveConservation Measures of Library Materials(IFLA図書館資料の予防的保存対策の原則).As for document conservation, preventingdamage in the first place is the mostimportant. Measures such as environmentalcontrol, Integrated Pest Management (IPM)as a countermeasure against insect and mold,education of users to handle documents withcare etc. are, in general, economical, easilyachievable and very effective methods. Thisunderstanding has been widely recognized,and preventive measures have been broadlyundertaken in many countries includingJapan.The emphasis on preventive measuresleads to preservation and conservation of acollection as a whole that will be mentionedin next section.3-3. Preservation and Conservation of‘Collection’A large number of cultural properties andvaluable historical items were damagedin the disaster in Florence. One of theapproaches to address the issue was massconservation. How can great numbersof documents in need of treatment bedealt with systematically and effectively?Responding to this necessity, leaf-castingprocess, vacuum-freeze drying and someother mass conservation methods have beendeveloped. Storing documents in enclosures,which prevent deterioration, can also beincluded amongst such innovations.The issue with acidic paper was,as already mentioned above, anothersituation that brought about innovation to15