Preparation and Application of Polyurethane Coating Material Based on Epoxycyclohexane-Tetrahydrofuran in Paper Conservation

Paper cultural heritages are valuable historical records and also abound in cultural resources. Due to its organic property, paper is susceptible to aging, destruction by environmental pollution and human factors. At present, many countries in the world are facing the problem of paper conservation. Coating reinforcement is one of the methods for paper conservation, in which the choice of reinforcing resin is key. A transparent polyurethane, based on epoxycyclohexane (CHO)-tetrahydrofuran (THF) copolyether, was adopted in this study. The ring-opening polymerization for generating the CHO-THF copolyether took place by the reactants CHO and THF, in the catalysis of boron trifluoride diethyl etherate, initiation of glycerol. Characterizations of the synthetic copolyether were conducted by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) spectroscopy. The transparent polyurethane was then produced by the CHO-THF copolyether and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) trimer. The influences of different concentrations of polyurethane solution upon the paper tensile strength, elongation, folding endurance, tearing strength, gloss, and brightness were studied. These findings suggest that 10% polyurethane solution is optimal, not only for greatly improving the paper performance, but also for keeping with the principle of “repair as old”. The applied results demonstrate that the polyurethane based on the CHO-THF copolyether has the characteristics of copolyether along with polyurethane, displaying good mechanical properties in paper reinforcement.

Value supported decision-making in paper conservation

This research announcement outlines the fundamentals, initial reflections, objectives, and methodology of a research project developed jointly by the University of West Attica, Greece, and the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It presents the variability of the concept of value in the context of the preservation of cultural assets, the diversity of the terminology and the scarcity of specific discussions in the area of paper conservation. It outlines the conceptual contribution based on the relationship between values, historical evidence, and layers of data in cultural objects, as well as on the impact of conservation procedures on their interconnections. Finally, this article supports both the societal and material approach to decision-making in preservation and conservation through the interdisciplinary investigation of paper-based objects to understand them as complex artefacts.

Siderophores and their Applications in Wood, Textile, and Paper Conservation

Since the 1950s, siderophores have been acknowledged as nature’s chelating powerhouse and have been given considerable attention concerning their crucial roles in microorganisms and plants for capturing non-bioavailable iron from aquatic and terrestrial environments, as well as for their applications in agriculture, health, and materials science and environmental research. In recent years, the exceptional affinity and complexing efficacy, as well as the high selectivity of these potent chelators towards iron(III), have led to investigations by researchers aiming at understanding their capacity for removing potentially harmful and aesthetically unacceptable iron stains from organic substrates in cultural heritage objects. In the context of the conservation of cultural heritage objects, potent chelators have been proposed to remove iron from surfaces by transferring it to the more soluble complexed phase. In this review, the origins and the types of bio-environments of siderophores as well as their structure and chemistry are investigated and related to the requirements of conservation. It is evident that, given the enormous potential that these chelators have, the research for their application in cultural heritage is at a preliminary level, and has to date been within the rather narrow context of cellulosic materials such as paper and wood. The results of research conducted to date are presented in this review and questions regarding the optimal use of siderophores as iron-removing agents are posed.

Memperkenalkan Jenis Kerusakan Kertas dan Penanganan Konservasi Interventif Sederhana kepada Staf Museum-Museum di Yogyakarta

Papers and old books are important part of museum collections in many museums in Yogyakarta, even some of them have very significant value and become masterpiece collections. Some old books such as from Islamic and colonial period have unique binding structures that should be preserved too as it become a historical marker. Therefore, special care for paper collections and old books should be carried out by museum conservator. Unfortunately, not all museums in Yogyakarta have professional conservator. Bear in mind that many museums in Yogyakarta has significant value of paper collection, a workshop of paper conservation was conducted on 18-19 September 2019 in Museum UGM, as a community service for museum communities in Yogyakarta. Through this workshop, participants managed to identify types of damage on paper collections, identify the cause of damage, and conduct simple interventive conservation.====Kertas dan buku tua merupakan bagian penting dari koleksi museum di banyak museum di Yogyakarta, bahkan beberapa memiliki nilai yang sangat penting dan menjadi koleksi istimewa. Beberapa buku tua, contohnya dari masa Islam dan kolonial, memiliki struktur jilid yang unik yang juga harus dilestarikan karena menjadi penanda sejarah. Maka dari itu, penanganan khusus untuk koleksi kertas dan buku tua harus dilakukan oleh konservator museum. Sayangnya, tidak semua museum di Yogyakarta memiliki konservator profesional. Mengingat bahwa banyak museum di Yogyakarta memiliki koleksi kertas dengan kandungan nilai penting, workshop konservasi kertas dilaksanakan pada 18—19 September 2019 di Museum UGM sebagai bentuk pengabdian masyarakat kepada komunitas museum di Yogyakarta. Melalui workshop ini, peserta berhasil mengidentifikasi tipe kerusakan dan penyebabnya pada koleksi kertas serta melakukan konservasi interventif sederhana pada koleksi kertas.

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

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.

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

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.

Considerations about foxing stains in three paper collections ranging from the 16th to the 20th century

Three surveys on the occurrence of foxing stains were carried out on papers dating from 1560 to 1975 in three Portuguese collections. Foxed papers were found to be more intensely and intrusively stained in certain time periods of each collection. Based on historical data and on the professional paper conservation experience, the authors linked the increased occurrence of foxing stains in certain time periods to the new papermaking processes and materials, which began to be introduced in the late 18th century, and in particular to a synergistic effect between three factors: the use of deficient gelatine sizing which began to present a poorer quality and homogeneity, the presence of iron-containing impurities throughout the paper leaf and a distinct sorbency of moisture. Observing batches of morphologically similar papers by using photographic imaging with different types of light sources and incidences, the authors verified that similar papers present similar foxing stains.

Conservation for digitisation: A collaboration between the Palestinian Museum and the British library

Since 2018, the Palestinian Museum in Ramallah has been digitising items from small institutions and private individuals in Palestine as part of their Digital Archive project. In 2019, a partnership was established with the British Library in London with a view to setting up the first paper conservation studio in the West Bank at the Museum. Library conservators provided training for a conservator and conservation manager from the Museum in paper conservation skills specific to the demands of digitisation projects. Initial training in London was followed up by ongoing distance mentoring as well as a visit by British Library conservators to Ramallah, in which conservation volunteers were also trained. This article details the aims of the collaboration, the challenges of putting together appropriate training programmes to be delivered in very limited time frames and the outcomes of the project thus far.