Talk:Conservation and restoration of books, manuscripts, documents, and ephemera

Comment

Laura, I really enjoyed your outline - I think you've got a great structure here, and paper conservation is such an interesting topic. I'm curious, will you be focusing solely on works on paper and newspapers, or are you discussing conservation of books and manuscripts as well? You've got a really well fleshed-out breakdown for types of agents of deterioration, as well as different treatment types. The only other thing I could think of would be to also, briefly, discuss any proper methods for exhibition of works on paper - though I don't know if this might warrant its own category or if it can be worked in to your category for proper storage methods. Stangs531 (talk) 00:38 17 April 2014 [20:38 16 April 2014]

Fantastic!

Hi Laura:

I'm really glad you decided to cover this topic as it is an interesting and massive section of conservation. I like your organization of the topic and you have some great links and references. I do have a few minor notes about Wikipedia format and possible additional topics. First, I think in your initial sections, you should just define the topic, "Conservation of paper..." as opposed to a lengthy introduction. Instead of giving a history of newspapers, you can just link to the Wikipedia article on it. This will save you time and keep you from veering away from the conservation topic. Also, for agents of deterioration, you could add Handling, and Natural Disaster. These external forces don't really fit into the other areas you've mentioned but can definitely cause deterioration due to the fragility of paper objects. As I said, I really like the organization you have constructed. I might add a section on documentation, and as a last topic "preventive conservation", because this will incorporate two more core aspects of conservation. If you need more references, you can check out the journal "Studies in Conservation" through JSTOR, they have some great articles on paper conservation techniques and methods. Oh- and this is just a word choice thing- I might call "Reformatting" digital preservation, or at least link the terms somehow as it seems you are talking digitization in some way. You are well on your way to a fantastic article, I can't wait to read the final product! AllisonMaryMartin (talk) 14:06, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

Laura, I really like your outline so far. The structure reads well so far, and develops the reader's understanding of how to not only care for their paper documents but how to 'think' about documents. Yes, they may have historic or personal value, but they need to be treated according to their material and condition. I appreciate that you discuss what causes deterioration and how to practice preventative care before dabbling into treatments. Are you going to discuss common types of paper documents within cultural institutions or are you going to include more modern artifacts that may be made of multiple materials? Looks great so far!! User:Jmadre — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.97.137.37 (talk) 14:09, 19 April 2014 (UTC)

Duplicate sentence in different section

The part about photocopiers that don't force books to go flat. —User 000 name 17:16, 11 October 2015 (UTC)

Have fixed that and other minor issues. The bigger problem with this article, which needs a much more major overhaul, is that it's "written like a manual". It's telling you how to do book and document conservation, not about book and document conservation. GrindtXX (talk) 18:04, 11 October 2015 (UTC)

Image

I have just opened a discussion on Talk:Archivist#Image about the image, also used on this page, purporting to show "A paper conservator surveying a collection of materials in storage". Input would be welcome. GrindtXX (talk) 12:24, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

Page revamp

Planning on doing a revamp of this article in order to make it more encyclopedic and specific to conservation, not restoration or preservation. Much of the article will probably be deleted as it is more reminiscent of a guidebook and not an overview of the topic as a whole. Contact me with any questions or concerns. Skyes(BYU) (talk) 21:21, 29 January 2020 (UTC)

Harold B. Lee Library-related articles

I added the Category:Harold B. Lee Library-related articles back on this page--it is a maintenance category we use to track pages we've edited. One of my students made extensive revisions to this page. Let me know if you have questions. Rachel Helps (BYU) (talk) 21:10, 10 November 2021 (UTC)

Structure

CallieMYork (talk) 20:26, 25 April 2022 (UTC)

Definition

I also think the definitions section could use some editing to clarify terms and make it easier to read. SamwiseEsme (talk) 18:57, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

History

I think that both the History and Agents of Deterioration sections could use some enhancement.

The history section needs fleshing out (more historically important figures should be included who had an influence on the field, and more references used if possible).

History section also seems out of place. I would recommend putting this section toward the end because it discusses specific conservation methods that have yet to be defined. Would be better to understand what the methods are beforehand.--CallieMYork (talk) 17:58, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

I think too as long as Definition, History, and Ethics arent mixed in with Active Methods, Preventive Methods, and Sustainability it will have a better flow of the article. 66.211.228.156 (talk) 18:48, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

The Agents of Deterioration

The Agents of Deterioration section could benefit from sub-headings, I think. Maybe breaking it down a bit for more readability since right now it reads a bit like a laundry list of problems and is overwhelming. SamwiseEsme (talk) 12:51, 28 April 2022 (UTC)

Maybe breaking this section down by the different agents of deterioration makes the most sense. SamwiseEsme (talk) 17:42, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

Agents of Deterioration subheadings should be the following: Mishandling, Light, Fluctuating Humidity, Dust and pollution, Fire, Water, Gas and heat, Pests and other vermin--CallieMYork (talk) 17:50, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

Agreed, Callie. Great work 66.211.228.156 (talk) 18:46, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

Storage Methods and Materials

Do we also need a section for Passive Conservation techniques since we have one for Active? LauraLRRoush (talk) 17:24, 28 April 2022 (UTC)

Laura, I've been wondering this as well. This article is titled specifically "conservation and restoration" but does a have a bit of discussion on the inactive conservation side. There is also a page titled Preservation (library and archive) elsewhere in Wikipedia, so maybe we should just clarify that that is not what this article is addressing, and then ensure that there is a usable link to that other page rather than try to add content on that topic here? SamwiseEsme (talk) 20:23, 28 April 2022 (UTC)

Retitling the heading “storage methods and materials” to something along the lines of “preventative conservation and storage” I think would be more suitable. This would encompass the need for passive conservation techniques since storage is part of preventative or passive measures.CallieMYork (talk) 18:41, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

References and Sources

Great calls, Callie and Sam. I think too the References and Sources sections could be combined, and listed in order they appear in the article.

How about just renaming the "sources" section as "further reading" or "further sources"? That might be clearer and would allow us to keep both. SamwiseEsme (talk) 18:03, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

Sam, That would make the most sense. Lets title the section “Further Resources”CallieMYork (talk) 18:36, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

Did you combine the "sources" and "further reading" sections? The shortened-footnote style references sources that are in the sources section (the footnote with a last name and date refers to them). Books in the "further reading" section are not referenced at all. I believe it is an important distinction. Rachel Helps (BYU) (talk) 18:49, 16 May 2022 (UTC)

Active Conservation and repair techniques

Would it also be wise to make subheaders under Active Conservation for paper, parchment, and leather since the first sentence outlines what this type of conservation-restoration details? LauraLRRoush (talk) 17:29, 28 April 2022 (UTC)

might be interesting to organize it based on the issue trying to be resolved, the type of agent of deterioration. Some restoration processes maybe the same for the different materials. CallieMYork (talk) 18:55, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

References

--CallieMYork (talk) 20:27, 25 April 2022 (UTC)

American Institute of Conservation (AIC). (1994). Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice; Commentaries. https://ares.library.jhu.edu/Ares//ares.dll?Action=10&Type=10&Value=909886.  

• Contains Ethics guidelines for Conservation-Restoration workers, not mentioned in article.

Pickwoad, N. (1994). Determining How to Best Conserve Books in Special Collections. American Institute of Conservation (AIC). https://cool.culturalheritage.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v13/bp13-07.html.

• Contains further text on active and preventive conserving methods for books.

Conservation Online (CoOl). (nd). Disaster Preparedness & Response. https://cool.culturalheritage.org/bytopic/disasters/  

• Can be used under Preventive Methods, outlines organizations in the states that provide disaster relief and assistance as well as out of the box disaster preparedness plans shared from various insitutions in the country. 66.211.228.156 (talk) 18:49, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

More references should be included, in order to enhance pages content.

Ward, Phillip R. 1986. Nature of Conservation, A Race Against Time. Santa Monica, CA: The J. Paul Getty Institute.

-Include provided information in the history section about modern conservations steering away from conservation methods that alter the materials or an object. For example book bindings or document containers can be restored but if there is missing text it can not be rewritten (Ward, 1986, pp.21)

3.6 emergency salvage of wet books and records. Northeast Document Conservation Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-leaflets/3.-emergency-management/3.6-emergency-salvage-of-wet-books-and-records

- Lists methods for drying out books and documents after they have been exposed to water damage. Provides more content and a diverse resource for the active conservation and repair techniques section.

National Park Services. (1993). Conserve O Gram. Retrieved April 27, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/13-02.pdf

- Provides information on proper conservation techniques to flatten documents. Provides more content and a diverse resource for the active conservation and repair techniques section.CallieMYork (talk) 18:17, 29 April 2022 (UTC)

Harris, K. E. & Schur, S. E. (n.d.) A Brief History of Preservation and Conservation at the Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/preservation/about/history/pres-hist.pdf

-This article gives the history of preservation at the LoC and may have some helpful content for the history section since the LoC was at the forefront of things a lot of the time.

Etherington, D. (2007). “Historical Background of Book Conservation.” In Collection Management, Vol. 31:1-2, pp. 21-29, DOI: 10.1300/J105v31n01_02

-This, again, is a useful reference for the history section if we choose to expand it. It has an in-depth history of book conservation since the 1960s. Don Etherington is also considered an important figure in this field and more of his work could be a valuable addition when it comes to the book conservation side of this article.

Young, S. (1995). Bookbinding & Conservation by Hand. Oak Knoll Press.

-This is a practical guidebook, but it has a section on the general principles of performing active restoration on books.

Roberts, M. T. & Etherington, D. (1982). Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology. Library of Congress.

-This is a very important resource for the definition of terms in book conservation. It standardized a lot of the terms that are used throughout the article and could be useful as a reference if there are areas that require more careful citation. It may also be useful in the expansion of the Agents of Deterioration section. SamwiseEsme (talk) 18:05, 29 April 2022 (UTC)