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

概要

Conservation and Restoration of Western Paper

Mass Deacidification Treatment of Acidic Paper inLibraries and ArchivesFumio YokoshimaSenior Managing Director, Doctor of ArtsPreservation Technologies Japan Co.1. IntroductionLibraries and archives endeavor to preserveimmense and extensive collections of booksand archives that are records and testimonyof each steps in our history. In order topass on this great asset of information tofuture generation, we must understand thebehavior of acidic paper and treatmentsof mass deacidification. The evolution ofacidic paper is closely connected to thehistory of papermaking and printmaking,and as well as to the development towardmass production. Looking at the evolutionof acidic paper, it is evident how varioustypes of technical deacidification treatmentsdeveloped for mass deacidification.Meanwhile, libraries and archives have beensearching for specific strategies that meetboth access and preservation. Along withdeacidification treatments, interventivetreatments such as minor repairs to improvethe state of the object are important steps inpreserving a large collection of paper basedobjects.2. Development of papermaking andprintmakingPapermaking was perfected in the late Hanperiod in China using hemp as its rawmaterial. It made its way into Europe via theSilk Road and in the 12th century, Spainstarted its own manufacture of paper. Whenpapermaking was introduced in Europe,rags were used as raw material since it wasrelatively easier to obtain than parchment.Paper slowly spread all over Europe and later,it is to be in high demand. In 15th centuryGermany, Johannes Gutenberg introducedthe movable type and the printing press,which further pushed the demand for paper.In the late 17th century, the invention ofthe Hollander beater to produce paper pulpquickened the steps toward mass productionof paper. By the 19th century, no longer ableto meet high demands, England succeededin the implementation of the rotary pressspeeding up the printing process, andeventually replacing Gutenberg’s printingpress. 1-3 The rise in literacy rate in modernEurope certainly played part in the increasein demand for printed material. Such needfor printed material in the 18-19th century,consequently asked for a faster and cheaperway to produce paper. 4The supply of linen and cotton rags couldno longer meet the increasing demand forpaper. Subsequently in the 18th century,there was a proposal to use wood for theproduction of paper. By mid 19th century,the implementation of ground wood pulpsucceeded by means of grinding wood andseparating them into fibers. 5 Wood pulpcontains a high percentage of lignin andthe short fibers meant that it lacked paper21