Tips on the Care and Preservation of Ancient Works

Another factor that causes great damage (i.e destruction) to antique books and documents is the disbinding of books to remove maps, lithographs or pictures.  To me, this is wanton desecration of historical materials that cannot be replaced!  Is is dismaying how many "antique dealers" are out there ripping apart books and folios just to have a few individual maps and prints to sell...

CARELESS HANDLING
Careless handling is by far the most common cause of damage to antique books and documents. It can lead to wear, tearing, creases and staining.  Here are a few tips to help prevent damage that can occur during handling.

• Clean white cotton gloves should always be worn when handling a book or document. Salts and oils from human hands can cause damage in the form of staining and can also transfer dirt to the paper surface. Cotton gloves can be purchased from conservation suppliers (and some sutlers). If gloves are not available, care should be taken to ensure that hands are washed & dried frequently when handling antique books and documents.
• Work spaces and table tops should be neat and free of dirt.
• When moving a paper or parchment document, always support it from below. The safest method for moving the object is to slide a piece of stiff paper or matboard underneath the art - so that the matboard (not the document) is handled. This is particularly necessary when handling brittle paper or fragile items that cannot support their own weight. Never lift a piece of paper by its edges, particularly if there are any tears present.
• Stacked paper objects should never be dragged or slid across each other. This can cause abrasion or smudging of their surfaces. It is preferable to lift them up one at a time.
• Books should be grasped by both sides, not by the upper edge of the book (endcap). This can lead to damage and tearing of the binding. If the sides of the book are not readily accessible (as is often the situation with books that are stored on book shelves), the book should be gently nudged forward on the shelf from the back so that it can be fully grasped with one hand.
• Never eat, smoke or drink around your collection. Accidents can lead to irreparable staining or burns.
• A good rule is to use only pencils when working on, or around, antique books and documents.  Pens and markers can cause staining. Never write on documents with a marker or pen. It can bleed through to the other side or can complicate future conservation work.  
• Paper clips and binder clips should not be used on antique books and documents. Metallic clips can corrode and leave rust stains on paper, parchment and fabric. 
• Post-it notes should not be used on antique books and documents. Post-it notes can damage the media or paper surfaces.
• Extensive photocopying or electronic scanning of books and documents should be avoided.  It can lead to fading. The compression of books during photocopying can also break the binding and spine of the book.

ENVIRONMENT
The overall environmental conditions under which antique books and documents are stored and displayed can have a great effect upon their longevity. Factors that can lead to damage include: pollution; pests; and inappropriate temperature, relative humidity and light levels. 

Temperature and Relative Humidity - Fluctuations and extremes in temperature and humidity levels can have a detrimental effect upon the preservation of antique books and documents. By far, the greatest damage to collections is caused by rapid fluctuations in relative humidity.

Temperature and humidity are interrelated. In general, heated buildings have very low relative humidity levels in winter. Conversely, humidity levels are high in the summer months.

Low humidity levels can cause:

• drying out and embrittlement of materials.

• shrinkage of vellum and parchment covers, resulting in warpage.

High humidity levels can cause:

• swelling of paper and parchment materials, resulting in planar distortions.
• coated papers to stick together
• transfer of inks from one surface to another.
• mold growth in humidity levels above 60%.

Ideally, cool storage is desirable for antique books and documents; however, in the home, it is generally not practical. Therefore, damage should be minimized by avoiding extremes in temperature and humidity. This can be done by insuring that objects are kept away from heat sources such as furnace vents, fire places, warm lights and direct sunlight.

Excessive humidity, as can be found in most basements, should also be avoided since it can cause mold growth that can stain the surface of the object.  Keep antique books and documents out of the basement.

Recommended temperature and humidity levels for the storage and display of collections are as follows:

Temperature: 67 degrees F, plus or minus 2 degrees F
Humidity: 47%, plus or minus 2%

Light - Another major cause of damage to antique books and documents is exposure to high light levels, which leads to fading of media, discoloration and embrittlement due to heating.

The most damaging portion of natural and artificial light is Ultra Violet (UV). UV is the invisible high energy portion of light. This is the same energy that has been proven to damage eyes and skin. UV filtering for windows and frames is commercially available and can significantly reduce the damaging effects of UV light.

In addition to damage resulting from exposure to UV, visible light can also damage antique books and documents. The recommended light levels for display of paper materials in museums is very low. 50 LUX is the level that is recommended for short periods of time (6 months). Colored inks are among the most susceptible to light damage and should be displayed in dim areas, free from bright light sources. Media such as black ink can tolerate somewhat higher exposure levels.

A camera light meter can be used to read visible light levels within your home; however, this method cannot be used to record UV levels.

STORAGE, EXHIBITION AND FRAMING
The proper storage and display of antique books and documents can help to minimize many of the factors that can lead to degradation. 

Paper Documents
The encapsulation of documents within a clear plastic (mylar) envelope provides a simple method of protecting documents from dirt, dust and tearing. Encapsulation also allows for viewing of both sides of the document. Mylar envelopes and acid free boxes can be purchased from conservation suppliers. 

 

For large or odd size documents, sheets of mylar can be sewn together or adhered along the edges using double sided tape. A recommended tape is 3M #415 adhesive tape. Great care should be taken to insure that the tape does not come in contact with the document. Encapsulated documents can then be placed into acid free boxes or folders for long term storage.

Items that are not handled often can simply be placed in folders and boxes. All storage boxes, paper folders and tissue paper should be acid-free, lignin free and have a neutral pH. Acid that is generated by poor quality wood-based cardboard boxes and folders can cause the degradation of artworks stored within them.

Severely degraded paper should be stored in buffered boxes that contain an alkaline reserve. Alkaline reserve buffers are chemicals that absorb acids that are generated by the degraded paper.

In general, good housekeeping is essential to the preservation of artworks on paper. Routine inspection and cleaning of boxes and folders will aid in extending the life of collections.

Parchment Documents
Parchment documents should be stored in unbuffered acid free folders or boxes. The use of mylar folders is not recommended for parchment.

Books
Bookshelves are the most common method of storing books. To minimize damage that can be caused by overcrowding, books should be packed loosely on shelves. The use of book ends can help to provide even support. Large books should be stored flat on shelving units. Rare and fragile books should be placed into individual protective enclosures.

Exhibition and Framing
The display of documents and books in the vicinity of fireplaces or air ducts should be avoided since dirt and soot can be deposited onto the paper surface. The display of framed documents on exterior walls should be avoided as it can lead to damage resulting from moisture condensation on the back of the document.

Matting and Framing
Antique documents can be framed for display. The use of high quality, acid-free, lignin-free matboard is recommended. In general, paper objects should be framed using a window mat. Window mats provide space between the surface of the artwork and the glass of the frame to prevent the work of art from becoming stuck to the glass surface.

The document should be attached to the matboard using only acid-free paper hinges and high-quality adhesives. Staining can be caused by contact with acidic or other poor quality materials, such as scotch tape or rubber cement. Recommended adhesives for hinging paper are wheat starch paste, methyl cellulose, and paper framing/hinging tape that is available from University Products Inc.

The use of ultra violet filtering glass and Plexiglas in frames can help to reduce damage from UV light.