The conservative librarian

Conservation is not simply a set of theories or methods to be applied but, it is a complex, conscious and flexible way of thinking, aimed to preserve accessibility to library materials over time.  The IFLA Conservation Principles for the care and treatment of library materials, published first in 1979, and published in Italian translation in 2005, stated: ‘collaboration of all management, administrative, financial and personnel resources are necessary for the protection of library collections. Conservation includes, in addition to the identification of a design phase and an intelligent modus operandi, the operations that allow a library to be governed on a daily basis from the state of health of its environments, furnishings and equipment, safety of its collections, and the well-being of librarians and users. It is expressed in a series of theoretical reflections and technical operations ranging from knowledge of the heritage (from the single book artefact to the entire collection), planning, to preventive practice (consisting of many technical operations: dusting, permanent monitoring of the microclimate, the state of health of buildings and furnishings, control of objects in entry and exit from the library, periodic checks on the health of collections, packaging and preparation of materials for exhibitions). It also includes the education of librarians and users, up to the actual conservative restoration intervention, and knowledge of storage systems. The librarian/archivist curator, a common presence in every library/archive, has the task of managing the conservation aspects of the heritage kept within the conservation site.

Course project

• Analysis of different book and archives bindings, structures and conservation issues
• Types of damages, The 10 agents of deterioration
• Risk Assessment form
• Restoration theory aimed at the correct relationship between the librarian-conservator an the restorer

Who is the course aimed at?

The course aims to provide the skills of the librarian/conservative archivist in line with European standards. Participation is open to anyone wishing to study or work in the field of librarianship and archives.

Report

The course provided these skills of the librarian/archivist in line with European standards.

The theoretical-practical lessons have taken place at the Recanati e Restauro and inside the historic library of Clemente Benedettucci, in order to allow participants to deal with real problems linked to a historical library.

The students explored different book and archive typologies and the different agents of deterioration. They compiled the Risk Assessment form aimed to practice “first aid” interventions and the creation of conservation folders.