Portuguese Archives and Libraries: a Century of Preservation and Conservation Practices for the Control of Biodeterioration

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Biodeterioration has been a central subject for libraries and archives. Throughout the ages, different preventive and curative conservation measures were adopted to manage biodeterioration in Portuguese institutions, but the problem persists. A historic review of different methodologies used to prevent biodeterioration in the Portuguese context is presented and compared to international trends. It focuses on theories and practices of paper conservation on par with their evolution and a comparison between the art collectors' world and Libraries and Archives is also made. Biodeterioration management has always been a major concern, namely amid librarians and archivists, among the first ones to endorse the implementation of preservation policies. Although preservation awareness has a relatively long history, it is vital to encourage a better understanding of it at the decision-making level. In fact, the implementation of preventive conservation strategies continues to be unsatisfactory, despite the current sustainability issues and the dangers of handling contaminated documentation.

Source: Conservar Património

DOI: 10.14568/cp2020004

Authors: Maria da Conceição Lopes Casanova, Ana Catarina Pinheiro

Institutions: LAQV Requimte, Laboratório de Análises LAQV-REQUIMTE, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, University of Évora, Laboratório Hercules Herança Cultural Estudos e Salvaguarda

Language: English

Topic: Conservation Techniques and Studies

Subfield: Conservation

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, European Regional Development Fund

OpenAlex ID: W3049910072