There are many conservation procedures available for bound volumes and archival documents. The level of treatment can be tailored to the needs of your collection as well as your preservation budget. The most appropriate treatment should be chosen based on use, condition, and the value of the book or document to the collection as a whole.

Looking at your collection as a whole along with your budget is very important. You want to approach long-term preservation of your entire collection and do the most for the largest number of volumes initially, then as you get the records and archives stabilized, you can move on to individual treatment of objects. Having a survey done either by yourself through a self-assessment process or in conjunction with a conservation professional will help you with this overall approach.

In conservation, the stabilization of the complete collection is always the main focus. Granted, there are exceptions. When a highly-used volume is in desperate need, a full treatment may be necessary to save informational content. Treatment options and carrying out preservation in measured steps can save you money and time in the long run.

Basic Stabilization refers to the minimal amount of treatment required to slow down the deterioration of a book or archival document. This step usually excludes all aesthetic treatment such as inpainting, fussy infills of losses, and possibly aqueous treatment.

Here are two examples:

The original town charter, which has been framed next to the glass and is backed with old wooden backing boards. Simply removing the charter from the old frame, getting it away from the poor-quality framing materials, making a colored Xerox, putting the original away in a Mylar sleeve and reframing the copy for exhibit will extend the life of that document 50%.

An early town record made with of good quality paper (wood pulp was introduced in 1860) has detached boards and the first few pages of the volume are loose. The record receives less than average use during the year. An archival box could be made to house the book for about $40. This will keep the record together until such time funds are available for full treatment. Stabilize first, then consider treatment.

Full Treatment

Full treatment involves the treatment of both the pages and the binding or in the case of a document the paper substrate and the media. For books, this step usually involves the disbinding of the volume, reduction of surface soiling from the pages, removal of soluble acids in the pages through aqueous treatment or buffering the acids present with a non-aqueous spray if the media is sensitive to water. Then the pages are guarded, tears repaired and the volume resewn. The original boards can be reused if in good condition or a new binding is put in place. For paper documents the steps are similar. The reduction of surface soiling from the pages is followed by the removal of soluble acids through aqueous treatment. Tears are repaired with Japanese tissue applied with wheat starch paste. Further reduction of disfiguring stains can be carried out with an application of a mild chemical bleach suitable for conservation.

Treatment Options for Collections

• Reducing surface soiling on book pages and documents.
• Removal of old repairs and pressure-sensitive tapes.
• Immersion or float washing of book pages and archival documents.
• Deacidification of book pages through non-aqueous means.
• Mending, guarding and creating fills for book pages
• Sewing and resewing of book pages.
• Leather, cloth and paper rebacking of bindings
• Rebinding
• Post binding with polyester encapsulation of pages
• Boxing
• Photoduplication

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