Volume 42, Issue 1

This paper describes an investigation on the storage environment of an Edo period woodblock print collection in terms of volatile organic acid content, using active air sampling and precision gas detector tubes that can measure organic acid emissions in the low microgram range, and evaluates an organic acid mitigation method based on the fan filter unit (FFU) system. Ion-exchange chromatography method was also employed for estimation of acetic and formic acid ratio. Findings revealed an organic acid-concentrated microclimate inside the storage box, nevertheless, the off-gassing rates of the woodblock prints were low, with the exception of a print positioned in the middle of the stack. The acetic acid/formic acid ratio was similar between the storage room environment and inside the storage box, but comparatively higher levels of formic acid were identified in the mulberry paper folder housing the prints. Finally, the FFU system was able to reduce organic acid concentrations inside the storage box for a 5-month observation period, but it did not eliminate the tendency of the storage materials to create organic acid-concentrated microclimates.

This study investigated the factors hindering information resources preservation and the extent to which information services are affected in academic libraries. The population consisted of 170 library staff who were conveniently selected from the seven academic libraries under study. The researchers prepared a well-structured questionnaire for data collection and the responses were subjected into SPSS version 20 and content analysis. Findings revealed that lack of awareness, inappropriate building, and lack of preservation plan and being unsure on how to get started, being unsure on how to protect digital information resources and inadequate funding are the factors hindering effective preservation in academic libraries in Tanzania. The study also revealed that lack of information resources preservation affects library services to a great extent. The study concludes that damage of information resources affected information services. The study recommends that academic libraries management in collaboration with other stakeholders should establish a preservation consortium that will oversee the preservation issues in academic libraries country wide that may reduce the extent to which the barriers of information resources preservation affects the information services in the country. Through this consortium experts in the field of preservation will share skills on how they could tackle the preservation challenges together.

Aqueous cleaning of works of art on paper is one of the most important and delicate steps in a conservation process. It allows the removal of inorganic (metals) and organic substances, such as degradation products and other contaminants. These substances are responsible for yellowing, weakening, and loss of mechanical properties of paper. In this article, the cleaning effect of gellan gum was assessed on xuan paper, a traditional Chinese paper different in composition and papermaking technology compared to many Western papers. To assess the effect of gellan gum on xuan paper, its characteristics were studied before and after cleaning utilizing non-invasive and micro-invasive techniques. Results were compared to those obtained when treating Western papers and indicated that gellan gum can be applied effectively for aqueous cleaning of xuan paper.