Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part II: Conservation scenarios

Coppola, Floriana; Brown, Natalie; Amicucci, Floriana; Strlič, Matija; Modelli, Alberto

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-25034/v1

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(43 reference statements)

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“…As the collections were separated into climate-controlled and non-controlled collections by the library only six years ago, they have been grouped together for parts of this study, as the last six years of degradation represent an insignificant period compared to the age of the objects. The collections will be separately dealt with in Part II [31] as the effects of the different environments on the future condition of books will be modelled.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Visual assessment was used as it has been demonstrated that physical deterioration such as missing pieces influence readers/visitors' subjective judgments of fitness-for-use to a greater extent than discolouration or tears, which have little or no influence [30]. In Part II [31], the results will be further elaborated with the support of a dose-response function recently modelled for historical paper [32], in order to assess potential preservation scenarios.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part I: Paper characterisation

Brown

Coppola

Modelli

et al. 2020

Preprint

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An innovative survey was conducted of the collections of the historical Biblioteca Classense, located in the urban area of Ravenna (Northern Italy). The survey aimed to evaluate the current conservation state of the book collections, where 297 paper-based items, including incunabulae, manuscripts and books, dating from the 14th to the 20th century, were selected for analysis. This innovative survey was carried out non-destructively by assessing degradation visually and by measuring NIR spectral data followed by multivariate data analysis. Chemical and physical paper properties, important for paper characterisation and implementation of conservation strategies were determined, including paper type, pH, degree of polymerisation, tensile strength, lignin, protein, and rosin content. This survey provided a significant quantitative dataset for rag paper covering a 600-year period. The analysis of DP changes over time allowed the first experimental estimation of the rate constant for historical rag paper, i.e., (4.2 ± 0.6)·10−7 year−1, which was validated with predictions based on the Collections Demography dose response function for historic paper taking into account the past climate in Ravenna. Statistical methods were employed to describe the correlations between the measured variables and different features of the books, suggesting that the degree of polymerisation can be used as a general proxy for rag paper mechanical strength.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part I: Paper characterisation

Brown

Coppola

Modelli

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A good example of nondestructive research was provided by a group of researchers who studied a historical library collection in Ravenna, Italy, to assess the extent of the collection's deterioration and to obtain a characterization of the paper. This study also included a calculation ofto the collection lifetime which was done by combining the findings of chemical properties with environmental conditions using the dose-response function [22,23]. Strlič et al established a database of the mechanical and chemical properties of paper which describes the interdependence of composition and degradation, and which in turn may have an impact on conservation research and practice [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of seventeenth century papers from Valvasor's collection of the Zagreb Archdiocese

Dragojević¹,

Gregor-Svetec

Tomažič³

et al. 2021

Herit Sci

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Valvasor's library is a unique example of a Seventeenth century personal library, including over 7300 prints and 1530 books. Today, it is kept in the Metropolitan Library of the Zagreb Archdiocese which is part of the Croatian State Archives. In this study, we analysed a selection of papers from Valvasor's collection (VC) of unknown origin and composition. We used a dual approach, combining the results of the analyses of two sets of samples to find the most useful tools for the characterization of historical handmade papers. 144 randomly selected papers were included in the study. As the VC is a cultural heritage, only non-destructive analyses were used, such as visual inspection, surface imaging, measurements of thickness and the determination of optical properties (brightness, yellowness, opacity and gloss). According to the optical properties, papers from the VC could be characterized as yellowish and opaque, without gloss. Due to the fact that the VC papers could not be destroyed, we took another set of samples consisting of 10 historical papers (HP) from archival materials, dating from the 16th to nineteenth century, and subjected them to non-destructive, as well as micro-destructive analyses. This was done to supplement the findings of non-destructive analyses of the original collection. Initially, spot tests were performed to determine water absorbency and to identify the presence of lignin and starch in the paper samples. SEM–EDS and XRF were applied for the identification of inorganic elements. FTIR analyses were used to identify the chemical structures of the paper components. Microscopic analyses were performed in two ways: the paper surface was imaged with a digital microscope, and the morphological characteristics of the fibres were studied using an optical microscope. The dominant fibres present were flax and hemp, with a smaller proportion of cotton. Additionally, thick and thin light brown fibres resembling straw were detected. The presence of calcium-containing components, gelatine and alum could be confirmed with SEM–EDS, XFR and FTIR analysis. Comparing the results of analyses performed on two sets of samples a connection was explored by which it was possible to define the characterization of VC papers. The main goal of the study was to document and characterize a specific collection for the future use of researchers of handmade paper or paper conservators. Furthermore, the study may serve as a model approach for other researchers who seek to document the characteristics of paper in their collections.

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Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part II: Conservation scenarios

Cited by 2 publications

References 19 publications

Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part I: Paper characterisation

Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part I: Paper characterisation

Characterization of seventeenth century papers from Valvasor's collection of the Zagreb Archdiocese

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