The most important standard specifications for the maintenance and preservation of manuscript and printed books
Did you know: that if the environment is not suitable for preserving paper and leather materials that make up manuscripts and publications, it will lead to inevitable damage!
Common paper problems: Acidity and fungi as well as bacteria, lignin, insects and rodents are the most common paper problems.
Transmission of infection: Fungi and bacteria can be transmitted from papers to humans; Therefore, it is recommended to sterilize preserved materials before handling them, and to adhere to the use of personal protection methods such as hand gloves, nose and mouth masks, and safe hand sanitizers. It is also preferable to wash hands well with soap and water after handling old papers.
The ideal temperature: 18 - 22 degrees Celsius, and it is controlled through air conditioners.
The ideal relative humidity: 45-55% and can be adjusted by means of moisture absorbers.
Light: It is recommended to use lighting that does not emit heat, and it is preferable that the degree of illumination does not exceed (165) lux.
Sunlight: Sunlight penetration should be strictly prevented into the storage warehouses. If there are glass windows, it is preferable to use filters to block the harmful ultraviolet rays from reaching preserved materials. It is also preferable to install blackout curtains to completely block the sunlight.
Insect activity: Insects must be controlled in storage warehouses through traps that use natural materials such as gum. It is not preferable to use insecticides because it negatively affects the preserved materials. Devices can also be used to purify storage places by spraying safe sterile solution where the amount of solution is determined according to the space of the place.
Shelves: It is recommended to use wooden shelves that are treated against White Termite. Metal shelves can also be used and it is preferable not to be dyed with chemical dyes because they emit gases that may negatively affect the preserved materials. It is preferable that they be dyed with natural dyes.
Floor: It is recommended that the floor, walls, and ceiling of the preservation warehouse be coated with epoxy, a type of dye made from natural materials, resulting in an insulating layer to prevent any chemical or moisture emissions from reaching the storage warehouse. Tiling the storage warehouse can also be done for easy cleaning and controlling any insect activity. The use of floor mats is not recommended because it is a suitable place for insects and bacteria infestation and dust accretions.
Cleaning: It is preferable to carry out cleaning work using suction machines such as vacuum cleaners. It is not recommended to use cleaning brushes to prevent dust from dispersing from one place to another. If a wet cloth is used to clean the shelves or floors of the storage warehouse, it is recommended to be 70% dry to avoid causing high humidity in the warehouse.
Touching Preservatives: Gloves made of powder-free fabric or latex are recommended to be worn when handling warehouse materials to prevent transferring dirt and acidity from human hands to it. If this is not possible, it is important to wash hands with soap and water and then dry them completely before touching the materials.
Periodic inspection: The preserved materials must be checked periodically, by opening the safe boxes and examining all the materials inside. The duration of the inspection depends on the challenges involved. If no challenges appear, it is preferable to carry out inspection at least once every 3 months. If some challenges appear, such as increased insect activity; extensive inspection is carried out until the source of danger is eliminated.
Acidic materials: It is recommended to keep any acidic materials away from the preserved materials. Paper, cardboard and commercial transparencies are considered the most dangerous acidic materials to the preserved materials which leads to yellowing, drying, cracking and complete deteriorating eventually. It is preferable to avoid storing documents in commercial transparencies or inside plastic files because it leads to chemical reaction between these materials in high temperatures and humidity which causes damage to the stored materials.
Leathers used in binding: It is recommended to use natural leather for book binding, especially goatskin leather because it sustains for a long period of time, does not shrink or expand, and does not react chemically when temperature and humidity changes unlike synthetic leather.
Knowing the correct maintenance methods: The correct method of paper maintenance can be known through several indicators. The most important of which is making sure that the paper fibers used in the conservation operations are long, pure and acid-free, and are not commercial papers, because using commercial papers in maintenance causes, with temperatures and humidity changes, acid infections which may transfer from commercial conservation paper to preserved books and documents. It is also possible to know the correct maintenance method if the book thickness and paper size did not change after maintenance. In addition, ensuring that paper fascicle have been sewn according to the Arabic way and have not been glued, and this can be known by the ability of the book’s papers to open completely. One of the indicators of correct maintenance is weaving the two ends of the paper fascicle from the side of the book heel, which is a process of sewing the edges of the paper and not installing an artificial plot for decoration. Most importantly, making sure that the inks are not affected after the maintenance. It is recommended to take a picture of the materials before maintaining them to compare the ink before and after maintenance. In general, manuscripts and documents are maintained manually, while printed documents are maintained in automatically.