Band 44, Heft 2

Historic books are important vehicles for understanding the evolution of human civilisation. To preserve these precious historical materials, unremitting research and exploration has been carried out for thousands of years. The introduction of new concepts and technologies has led conservators to uphold different perspectives on traditional techniques and skills. “Book beating” (chuishu 捶书) is a very special, necessary step in the traditional conservation of ancient Chinese books. However, there is a lack of consensus about how the beating technique affects the structure and long-term stability of paper. In this article, we briefly introduce the origins and basic steps of book beating as well as the precautions required, taking into account the perspectives of conservators on book beating. We then discuss the similarities and differences between book beating and “beat paper”. Analysing a number of characteristics such as the beating strength, paper thickness, and tensile strength of the paper with or without the beating we will explore the pros and cons of book beating. Finally, we put forward some ideas for future research to provide theoretical guidance and support for the conservation of ancient books.

Valuable books and archival documents are stored in protective packaging, most frequently made of cardboard, in the depositories of archives, libraries, museums or galleries. As part of preventive conservation, the cardboard could theoretically be treated during production with suitable substances delaying ignition or decelerating flaming combustion. This work describes a study of the short-term and long-term effectiveness of selected inorganic additive flame retardants and their influence on the properties of cardboards. Substances containing silicon, boron or hydroxide anions were tested on Prolux solid cardboard and Klug corrugated cardboard. Parameters such as the linear burning rate, oxygen index, heat release rate, weight loss during heating, pH of an aqueous extract, and total colour difference were evaluated. A mixture of mica and bentonite Cloisite-Na + in a solution of Tylose MH6000 was found to be most useful for this purpose. This mixture doubled the time to ignition of Klug cardboard; in measurements of the linear burning rate, it caused early flame self-extinction for both kinds of cardboard and, simultaneously, had no observable detrimental effect on the stability of the treated cardboard.

Research over the past three decades has demonstrated that certain plastics in cultural materials are inherently unstable, displaying short lifespans and accelerating the degradation of neighbouring collection materials. Knowledge of the conservation of plastics is increasingly common in museum settings. However, less information is available on conserving plastics found in paper-based collections, and even less guidance on the materials and deterioration of plastic components found in book and document bindings. As plastics have been present in popular bookbinding materials since the mid-twentieth century, collection care professions require knowledge and methods for preserving these materials entering book collections. The aim of this paper is to determine strategies for the care of post-1950s books containing plastic. Collection surveys were conducted to determine the materials, structures, and degradation patterns of non-published books found in archive and archive-like settings at the South Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne. A methodology combining condition reporting and infrared spectroscopy identified six plastic polymers in 35 binding styles that are summarised as 10 binding types. Recommendations are made for the use of preventive storage strategies responding to four categories of damage.

This paper provides a discussion about the conservation profession in the Jakarta area of Indonesia. The study, which uses descriptive and qualitative research, was conducted among three public, cultural institutions: a museum, a conservation center, and a library. These institutions were chosen because of their collection of ancient manuscripts and their employment of professional conservators. The study’s findings show that conservators are concerned about the visibility of their profession in terms of lack of appreciation from the government as well as the status of their profession and that they believe they need professional associations and more comprehensive legal instruments to strengthen their profession’s visibility and the public’s opinion of them. This paper contributes to the discussion of the conservation profession, especially in the Indonesian context.