OHRJ, Vol. XLVII, No.

PRESERVATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS :

SOME PREVENTIVE MEASURES
Jyotshna Sahoo

INTRODUCTION:

A library is a repository of wisdom of great thinkers of the past and the present. It
is a social institution charged with the responsibility of disseminating knowledge to the
people without any discrimination. The holdings of the libraries are the priceless heritage
of mankind as they preserve facts, ideas, thoughts, accomplishments and evidences of
human development in multifarious areas, ages & directions. The past records constitute
a natural resource and are indispensable to the present generation as well as to the
generations to come. Any loss to such materials is simply irreplaceable. Therefore,
preserving this intellectual, cultural heritage becomes not only the academic commitment
but also the moral responsibility of the librarians / information scientists, who are in
charge of these repositories. Besides, proper dissemination of library materials is possible
if the documents are in good and usable condition. This demands for the proper
preservation and conservation of the library materials. Any librarian responsible for the
preservation of these documentary heritages should know the various causes of
deterioration of the library materials and the possible methods for their preservation.

Except a few libraries, all others have paper based reading materials in the form
of manuscripts, books, periodicals, paintings, drawings, charts, maps etc.. The basic
materials and constituents of the physical entity of these library materials are mostly
organic in nature, which are susceptible to natural decay and deterioration. In books,
apart from paper the other materials used are board, cloth, leather, thread, ink, adhesive
etc.. All these materials used are nutrition to some living organisms. So the library
materials need protection from factors of deterioration.

FACTORS OF DETERIORATION
Deterioration is a change of original state of any material by interaction between
the object and the factors of destruction. The different types of deterioration of the paper
based materials are reflected in wear and tear, shrinkage, cracks, brittleness, warping,
bioinfestation, discoloration, abrasion, hole, dust and dirt accumulation etc. Generally
library materials are susceptible to deterioration by the following factors:-
1. Enviornmental (climatic Factors) factors like light, heat, humidity and moisture,
dust and dirt, water.
2. Biological factors :- Microorganisms, insects and rodents.

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3. Chemical factors
4. Human factors and
5. Disasters
1. ENVIROMENTAL FACTORS :-
Light :- Whether natural light or artificial light paper gets deteriorated when it is
exposed to light. Especially sun light, has a serious damaging effect on written or printed
paper materials. The ultraviolet radiation of light are mainly responsible for photochemical
degradation of paper which takes place rapidly when paper is exposed to sun light in
presence of air (oxygen). When some portion of cellulose is oxidized to oxycellulose, the
long cellulose chains are broken and the paper becomes weak and brittle. Fading of ink
and dye of the coloured paper and yellowing of white paper also takes place due to the
formation of oxycellulose. Artificial light like fluorescent tube light also radiates a high
percentage of ultraviolet rays which cause deterioration by yellowing the paper. How ever
the amount of damage by light depends upon the following factors.
1) Intensity of light- as the intensity of light increases the rate of deterioration
of the paper also increases.
2) Duration of exposure- the duration of exposure of paper to light is directly
proportional to its deterioration.
3) Distance from the source of light- more the distance, less the damage.
Heat : Usually the source of heat is high atmospheric temperature. Heat is measured
in terms temperature either in Centigrade scale or Fahrenheit scale. High heat with low
humidity causes dehydration of cellulose fibers and the paper becomes brittle. It loses
its flexibility to the extent that it tends to crumble on touch. On the other hand, high
temperature with high humidity creates the condition for the growth of moulds. If electric
bulbs are used for lighting purpose, they increase room temperature as high powerful
bulbs generate more heat. Besides extreme variation in temperature (say 50c in winter
and 450c in summer) affects the physical condition of the library materials.
Humidity and Moisture: - Humidity is the amount of moisture in the atmospheric
air. The moisture is measured in terms of relative humidity. All organic objects absorbs
water to a greater or lower extent and the water goes inside the object through surrounding
air. Because of this absorbency property, the paper absorbs more moisture when there
is high humidity. Certain amount of humidity is necessary for the flexibility of paper but
in prolonged high humid condition, paper becomes soggy and the moisture weakens the
fibers of paper. Moisture is the root cause of various types of physical, chemical and
biological deterioration of library materials. It weakens the adhesive and makes the book
binding loose. It also weakens the sizing elements of paper and causes spreading of ink.
Moisten pages of book often stuck together. It also accelerates various types of chemical
deterioration as a result of which paper becomes yellow and stained with spots. Moisture
also promotes the growth of fungus, which cause damage to paper and book binding
materials.
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Dust and Dirt :- Fine dry particles of any matter present in the air are known as
dust. Dust, which is highly dangerous for the library and archival collection, composed of
soil, tar, metallic substances, fungus spores and moisture among other things. Since
dust is air borne it settles down on any surface of the object. Dust is hygroscopic in
nature and when it is mixed with high humidity, it is transformed into dirt and if this dirt
sticks to the surface of the books, it becomes difficult to remove. Dust and dirt are
sources of both physical and chemical degradation of the library collection. Dust acts as
a nucleus around which moisture collects and this moisture provides the necessary
humidity for the growth of fungus and for chemical reaction, which lead to the formation
of acids. Since dust and dirt are solid particles of varying size and hardness they exert
abrasion on the surface of the books.

Water :- Water occurs in all the normal state of matter- solid, liquid and gas. It acts
as a physical agent of deterioration by causing hygroscopic materials to undergo
dimensional changes. Water, which is harmful for the library collection may come from
sources like natural calamities, human negligence, from leaking roofs, defective plumbing
and through open windows at the time of raining. Excessive water brings about biological
attack on paper, which is usually manifested as the growth of fungus or mildew. The
effects of water are stained paper, rotted leather, smeared ink, weaken adhesive,
sustained fungi etc. Water also does injury to the steel furniture due to rusting.

2. BIOLOGICAL FACTORS :-

The deterioration caused by biological agents such as micro-organisms, insects

and rodents is generally known as bio-deterioration. Almost all book components, be it
paper, leather, textiles or straw board used for binding are prone to attacks by these
biological agents. The problem of bio-deterioration is a matter of considerable significance
of tropical hot and humid climate like India. The climatic condition accelerates the growth
and multiplication of living organisms. There is perhaps no library, which has not suffered
the ravages of these agents of bio-deterioration. These biological agents can be
subdivided into :-
(i) Micro-organisms- Fungus or moulds, bacteria etc.
(ii) Insects
(iii) Rodents
(i) Micro- organisms
A. Fungus- Fungus are a large heterogenous group of plant organisms. The
fungal spores are present in the earth, water and air and remain in a dormat state for
long periods. These spores sprout and grow when they have the required moisture and
heat. Generally fungi grow in a relative humidity range of 63-100% and temperature
range of 15-350c. In libraries fungal growth is known as mould or mildew and they appear
as brown/black vegetative growth on paper, leather and textiles. Fungus consume cellulose

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and also thrive on nutrients in leather, glues, pastes, binding threads etc. they weaken
and stain the paper and can cause discoloration.

B. Bacteria- Besides fungus, bacteria also decompose cellulose in paper and

binding textiles.

(ii) Insects

Even though there are thousands of insects, only certain insects badly damage the
archivo-library materials. They are silverfish, cockroaches, booklice, bookworms and
termites.

A. Silverfish – The main source of these insects are food materials like starch,
glue and gelatin which are used in paper as sizing materials. Dust and dirt also attract
this insects. They’re fond of dark places and are active in nights only. Silverfish do not
have wings and are silvery or pearl gray in colour and about 8 to 10 mm. in length. They
eat the surface of the paper and also eat gum from postage stamps, envelopes etc. They
grow holes in paper, prints, photographs, catalogue cards and cardboard boxes. The
dark spaces on the library racks, catalogue cabinets, drawers are the places for their
egg laying.

B. Cockroaches – cockroaches are common all over the world which are brown
or blackish brown in colour. They eat paper leaves, bookbinding, fabrics and other
organic materials. They are frequently found in libraries, archives and museums and are
very active during the night. They live in corners which are damp, cleavages in walls and
floors, behind and beneath almirhas, shelves and in wooden cupboards. They excrete a
dark brown liquid, which leave stains on the paper and become difficult to remove.

C. Book worms or Book beetles- Bookworms affect very much books and
manuscripts. As the name itself suggests they feed on paper and damage the paper
extensively. In libraries the bookworms lay their eggs on the edges of the books and on
the surface of the bookbinding. They make tunnels in the pages and boards of the
books.

D. Book lice: - Dark dusty areas filled with unused books, dampness and warmth
are essential requirements for the growth of booklice. They are gray or white in colour.
They injure the bindings of books by eating paste and glue and also eat the fungus
formed in between the edges of inner cover of the books.

E. Termites or White Ants – In the tropical climate the damages to the library
materials due to termites are much. Wet or damp conditions are most suitable places
for termites. They eat wood and paper and can attack any type of material containing
cellulose. If once they start destroying the books they can do irreparable damage in no
time. They leave mud encrustation on the attacked materials.

They are of two categories like earth dwelling termites and wood dwelling termites.
Earth dwelling termites live in the soil and in the libraries their presence can be noticed
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by their mud tunnels on the walls, book cases and furniture. Wood dwelling termites live
above the ground and enter the building through cracks and openings.
(iii) Rodents
Rodents include mice, rats, squirrels and many other species. Mice and rats are
mainly found in libraries and they find their way into buildings through dry drains and
openings in doors and windows. In libraries they eat and destroy materials made up of
paper, cloth, leather, glue, etc. These animals are very swift to move and hide in dark
corners.
3. CHEMICAL FACTORS:-
In the manufacturing of paper sometimes fibers are used with low cellulose contents
and some chemical compounds like alum, rosin etc. are used for sizing of paper which
cause acidic effect and facilitate chemical deterioration of the paper with the passage
of time. Besides, in the atmosphere among various constituents unwanted materials
such as oxides of carbon, sulphur, nitrogen and hydrogen sulphides are also present.
Because of the absorption of the chemicals by the moisture absorbed by the paper, the
library materials get affected. The notable deleterious substances for the library materials
are sulphur dioxides, oxides of nitrogen and ozone. Sulphur dioxide is a hazard to
cellulose materials like paper and cloth. The most familiar effect in libraries is the brown
and brittle edges of books caused by sulphur dioxide. Most of the nitrogen dioxide
comes from automobile exhausts & when it combines with oxygen and water turns into
nitric acid. This nitric acid has strong acidic effects and attacks the dyes in ink, cloth,
paper and leather. Ozone acts as a powerful destroyer of organic materials. It makes the
colours of fabric book covers fade and the book binding materials such as leather,
gelatin, glue and paste are also susceptible to deterioration by ozone in humid
atmosphere.
4. HUMAN FACTORS:-
Apart from physical and chemical factors, a serious cause of deterioration often is
the casual attitude of the library staff as well as the users of the library towards books
as physical objects. Librarians in charge of the documentary heritage are directly
responsible for the overall conservation and preservation of their collections. But they are
not always aware how to handle, store and use collections carefully to minimize damage
and help preservation. The standard of care and handling of books by their custodians
and users is often pretty low. Improper storage, faulty repairment, rough handling, deliberate
abuse, folding the fore-edges of pages as a mark of reading, marking by ball pen,
mutilation, vandalism are all examples of deterioration of books by human beings.
5. DISASTERS:-
No library is exempted to the devastations that can occur as a result of natural or
man made disasters. In libraries, archives and museums there is a likely-hood of fire as
the collections are mostly organic in nature. Once fire starts, it is difficult to save those

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materials which get fire. Items not directly engulfed in flames can be charred by soot and
smoke. Heat emitted from fire causes bindings to shrink and warp and plastic base
materials to melt. Water used for fighting fire can cause enormous damage. Besides
fire, floods, high winds, cyclones, earth quakes are also agents of deterioration for the
library collections. These will lead documents to absorb water, swell, warp and become
extremely vulnerable to physical damage. Dyes and ink may bleed and book pages stick
together. Leather bindings seriously warp and change shape. Effects of disasters on
library collections are too obvious to comprehend.

IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION

The processes of preservation, conservation and restoration are applied to safequard

the library materials from further decay and deterioration. Preservation is the process in
which all actions are taken to check and retard deterioration where as conservation
includes proper diagnosis of the decayed material, timely curative treatment and
appropriate prevention from further decay. More over there are two aspects of
preservation of library materials:

(i) the preventive measures which includes all forms of indirect actions aimed at
increasing the life expectancy of undamaged or damaged elements of cultural property.
It comprises all the methods of good house-keeping, caretaking, dusting, periodical
supervision and prevention of any possibility of damage by physical, chemical, biological
and other factors. (ii) the Curative measures consists of all forms of direct actions
aimed at increasing the life expectancy of undamaged or damaged elements of cultural
property. It includes repairing, mending, fumigation, deacidification, lamination, and other
jobs which are required considering the physical condition of the individual document.

Preventive conservation plays a vital role and has assumed much importance in
our country because a large number of institutions do not have proper conservation
facilities. In fact if diagnosis in time is followed by proper preventive measures many
problems can be solved. Here in this paper in accordance with the principles of preventive
conservation some measures have been suggested to control the library materials from
the effect of various deteriorating factors.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS:-

Control of environmental factors partially begins from selection of site, the planning
and the construction of the library building and also the soil on which it will be constructed
because these elements have greater impact over the environmental control inside the
library building. It is very important to choose the best architectural design for the library
having cross ventilation facilities for free air circulation within the building. If there is a
need to use wooden materials, the wood selected should be well seasoned and must
be treated chemically to avoid insects. Growth of plants near the building must be avoided,
as the roots will damage the building foundation. It is always better to construct the
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building away from traffic to avoid dust and dirt. Provision of adequate number of electric
fans and few exhaust fans will facilitate air circulation inside the library.
Sunlight should be prevented from falling directly on papers because the sun is a
great emitter of ultraviolet rays. The windows must be provided with colored curtains,
which will prevent falling of direct light as well as absorb ultraviolet rays. Lemon yellow
or green coloured glass panes should be fitted in window panes as these are more
effective in blocking ultraviolet rays. It is extremely good to fit acrylic plastic sheet in the
panes of window because it filters out UV rays to a greater extent than coloured glass.
The UV rays of fluorescent tubes should be filtered by covering the tubes.
As high humidity and high temperature are more hazardous for library materials it
is advisable to maintain ideal room temperature (200-250c) and relative humidity of
(RH45- 55%) for preservation of documents.
Air conditioning of the stack area round the clock is an ideal example of maintaining
optimum temperature & humidity for the storage of documents. But it is practically not
possible for all the libraries to afford for air conditioning for 24 hours. So it is useful to
adopt local control measures like use of humidifiers in dry climate to increase required
level of moisture content and dehumidifiers to remove moisture in wet seasons. These
may be operated whenever necessary for which proper monitoring of relative humidity
is highly essential.
High humidity could also be minimized by the use of de-hydrating agents like silica
gel. The requisite quantities of silica gel may be spread in dishes and kept in different
places in the room. After the use for 3-4 hours the silica gel may get saturated and may
need replacement with fresh gels, while the saturated gel can be reactivated for further
use after heating it in open pans.
During the summer months when the temperature is high the windows should be
kept closed. If the windows are to be kept open wet curtain should be used. High speed
air circulators also be used for free air circulation. Floors can be cleaned by wet dusters.
As accumulation of dust and dirt accelerate the physical damage of books, a cleaning
schedule should be made considering the sequence of operations following daily and
weekly routines. Specific instructions should be given to clean remote corners of the
book shelves, behind cabinets, under desks, chairs, and all surfaces accumulating dust.
The best way is to use a vacuum cleaner because it sucks the dust and can not resettle
on the surfaces.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR BIOLOGICAL FACTORS:-
Since stagnant air, dampness, dark and dingy places in a library facilitate the
growth of biological pests, good housekeeping and maintenance of optimum storage
condition is necessary to control the propagation of the insects. Provision of cross
windows, ventilators, exhaust fans ensures good circulation of air but at times it is
necessary to circulate the air inside the room with electric fans. It is preferable to avoid

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contact of book racks with walls (at least 15 cm away from the walls) to eliminate
dampness. Attending to cracks, crevices and loose joints in floors and walls eliminate
the possibility of insect hiding in these places. Presence of edibles inside the library
should not be allowed. Periodic use of insecticidal powder of solution like lindane at the
dark corner walls, beneath the racks and almirahs is a good precautionary measure to
prevent insects. It is safe to use paradichloro-benzene as it acts both as an insect
repellent and insecticide.
A simple practice is to keep naphthalene bricks on the shelves as it repels the
insects from coming to the book racks. Dry neem leaves, neem seed powder and
camphor tablets tied in muslin bags should be kept inside the racks for keeping the
pests away. The foundation of all the new library buildings should be given anti-insect
treatment.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR CHEMICAL FACTORS:
If the air pollution is controlled there will not be any external acidity in the paper
materials. One of the best ways of controlling atmospheric pollutants is filtering of the air
intake in to storage areas, which can be attained by air conditioning system operating
for 24 hours throughout the year. Without this facility simple measures like wrapping the
books and manuscripts in cloth or placing them in book containers reduces the effects
of pollution to a great extent. The books kept inside cupboards are better protected than
those which are kept outside. Documents kept inside folders are safer than those which
are kept in the open. Proper care should be taken to save books and documents from
dust. It is preferable to use vacuum cleaner and fine brushes for dusting of shelves and
books. No chemical formulations should be directly applied on to the book covers, since
these may have an adverse effect on the books as well as users of the books and staff
of the library. Wooden storage should be avoided as it gives off volatile acidic vapours.
If it is to be used it must be covered with coats of acrylic emulsion paint. Besides, acid
free paper, board and good quality materials should be used for repair and restoration
of documents.
PREVENTIVE MESURES FOR HUMAN FACTORS
There are certain do’s and don’ts which the library staff and the users should follow
to increase the longevity of the library resources. These are among others: -
i. Important books and manuscripts should kept in specially prepared containers.
ii. For carrying a large number of books trolleys should be used. Utmost care
should be taken while transporting rare, valuable and delicate books.
iii. Care should be taken while photocopying the books as at that time
considerable stress is imposed on the material and the bindings suffer most
and also the spine damages.
iv. Use bookends to support books when shelves are not full. Books should not
be shelved too tightly or too loosely.

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v. It must be always ensured while opening the books, pages are not torn or
covers are not damaged. To turn a page lift the top corner and lightly slip the
finger tips down the fore-edge supporting the page.
vi. Pages should never be folded otherwise creases will be formed and they may
be torn at the folds. Corner of pages should not be folded to mark pages.
vii. Avoid licking of fingers as an aid to turn pages.
viii. Underlining must be avoided.
ix. Books should not be left open on the reading table, face downwards.
x. Leaning on an open book should be avoided since this can damage the
spine and binding.
xi. Never allow a book to stand on its fore edge.
xii. When a book is displayed open, never use metal clips or pins to hold book
pages open.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Disasters are generally unexpected events with destructive consequences to a

collection. Therefore it is vital for any library to take every possible precautions to prevent
the occurrence of an unavoidable disaster. A disaster planning is an essential element
of preventive conservation. It is also necessary to identify any external and internal threats
that might cause problems for the collection and measures to meet those threats. Without
an existing disaster preparedness plan or crisis management plan, the librarians will be
unable to act quickly to organise salvage efforts. It should be mandatory for every library
to have a written disaster preparedness and response plan containing description of
emergency procedures, emergency supplies list, disaster response outline, conservation
experts, list of staff volunteers, list of external contacts and names, addresses, home and
work telephone numbers of personnel with emergency responsibilities. Besides libraries
should be provided with fire and smoke detection system and automatic fire extinguishing
system.

Use of match stick or open flame and smoking should strictly prohibited inside the
library. Inflammable materials and chemicals should not be stored inside the stacks. The
telephone number of the fire office should be visibly and clearly exhibited. Location of
emergency gate must be clearly indicated. The electrical defects and faults should be set
right in time.

CONCLUSION

There is an old adage that “Prevention is better than Cure”. The same is true
for the science of preservation. The concept of preservation is now gradually becoming

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a central issue in modern librarianship and preventive conservation, plays a key role in
preserving the documentary heritage for Posterity. Therefore in every library at least
preventive conservation should be practised to keep the documents in healthy, good and
usable condition.

REFERENCES

1) Agarwal, O.P. (1977) Care and Preservation of Musseum Objects, New Delhi: National Research
Laboratory for conservation of cultural property.

2) Agarwal, O.P. and Barkeshli Mandana (1997)). Conservation of Books, Manuscripts and paper documents,
Lucknow: INTACH, ICCI.
3) Guidelines for Control and Prevention of Termite Infestation in Archives and Libraries, (1991). New Delhi:
National Archives Of India.

4) Jeyraj, V.(1995). Care of Archival Materials, Thanjavur saraswati Mahal Series No: 395.
5) Repair and Preservation of Records, (1988). New Delhi: National Archives of India

6) IFLA Principles For The care and Handling of Library Materials International Preservation Issues One

7) Bokhare, Narendra. (1997). Conservation of Manuscripts: Prevention is Better Than Cure- Conservation
of Cultural Property in India. Vol 30. New Delhi: p52-63
8) Gupta, C.B. & Haider, S.H. (1995). Conservation Practices in Ancient India-CCPI, vol-28, New Delhi: P36-
43

9) Prasad, Lalan Kumar. (1995). Protection of Documents from Photo Chemical Effects of Light-CCPI, vol-
28, New Delhi: p45-49
10) Uniyal, C.P. (1995). Preventive Conservation of Archival Materials: Some Rather Ignored but Vital Aspects-
CCPI, vo-28, New Delhi: p50-55.

Assistant Librarian
State Museum
Bhubaneswar

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