Well I have had a busy Tuesday last week. I started off the day cataloguing and then proceeding to spine labelling, before being swamped on the enquiry desk with 4 hours worth of enquiry retrievals. Then to top it all off, I had to make my way to King College University to attend Hugh Phibbs talk on "Innovation in conservation mounting and framing" before running to my Japanese class.
According to Mr. Phibbs, one of the most important forms of preservation is that of paper, because it forms the memory of the human species. In the 21st century, content is gradually becoming paper-less and preserved through digital means. However, this form of content has a finite shelf-life, whereas paper has infinite use when preserved in its original state. Therefore, there is a need for transparency in the ways in which paper can be preserved.
The materials used in preservation are made of three things: cellulose (plant changed to paper), animal (vellum from calfskin) and synthetic materials. Hugh went on to describe a millennia of history in the ways in which items have been preserved and found in present day.
- Salt - It doesn't oxidize and keeps out forms of biology thus preserving contents.
- Clay- Holds enough oxygen within it to preserve animals (e.g. bone and impression) in a fossil form.
- Sub-marine preservation in either alkaline or acidic water has kept sunken ships in great condition.
- Drying/ice preservation as a form of mummification (e.g. the mummy or mammoth).
- Volcanic ash - carbonized paper in a way that allows you to still read the imprint of text.
