PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS
Before we proceed I will like to give meaning to the following words, library,
preservation and conservation.
Library: is a store
house of information where both printed and non printed materials are kept for
effective purpose. Library is the back bone of any institution be it commercial
and academic it is expected to aid in service delivery. Library materials
include printed and non printed materials.
Preservation:
The word preservation is a branch of library and information science that is
concerned with maintain and restoring continued access to library collection,
it is the study and diagnosis treatment, prevention of deterioration, delay and
damage to collection in their housing.
Conservation:
According to Vinas and Vina (1988) conservation is defined as operation which
are intended to prolong the life of an object forestalling or remedying
deterioration.
Conservation
can also be seen as the treatment and repair of individual hem in the
collection in order to slow their decay and damage to restored them to usable
state. Bothe preservation and conservation are two defeated concept that are
used interchangeable by people even outside the library information profession.
They have same objective to achieve.
Objective of Preservation and Conservation
1. To
preserve library material against natural disaster
2. To
preserve library material against biological factor and other means that can
cause deterioration of materials.
3. For
the material to have a prolong life to used.
Importance
of Preservation Conservation
1. To
restore the material that have ready gone bad (decay & damage)
2. To
determine the best appropriate preservation and restoration technique.
3. To
prevent those material that are deteriorating.
4. To
justify the budget of preservation on it section or department in the library
Functions
of Preservation and Conservation
Various functions include:
1. Collection and Conservation
Care: it refers to the general
maintenance and preventive care of
material in the library collection such as security environmental monitory
preservation survey etc.
2. Conservation Program
Care: It refers to the treatment and repair
of include industrial items to slow decay or to restored it from usable state.
3. Digital Preservation:
it the management of information appear in electrical format. Moving from one
file to another in order to avoid degradation of storage. Such as migration,
emulation, replication etc.
4. Disaster Planning/Preparedness:
Disaster are inevitable challenge, so to minimize their impact and even prevent
its natural like fire, flood, environmental hazard etc.
Deterioration:
it’s simply the process whereby library material lose its original value or
content causing it to decay or damage.
Factor
Responsible for Deterioration of Paper Based Materials
1. Exposure of Light:
damage occur library material when exposed to direct sunlight, fluorescent
light and ultraviolet light. It made the paper to fade in it image in light is
presented e.g. yellowing of newspaper.
2. Atmospheric Pollutant:
Air consist of nitrogen and oxygen. It contain small quantity of pollutant
union cause of damage to material.
3. Mutilation or rough
handling of materials; it involve
deliberately removal or a way of cutting some pages or folding of materials all
these contribute to shortening the life span of the materials.
Cause
of Deterioration
1. Environmental
factor
2. Human
factor
3. Biological
agent
-
Environmental
factor: such as humidity, temperature,
sunlight exposure when to deterioration dust, etc.
-
Biological
agent: like living organism such as
insect, rat, cockroaches, inadequate ventilation, poor lightening, mould, fungi
etc.
-
Human
factor: contribute to deterioration, careless
handling of materials backs by underline texting, spilling drink, overbook etc.
Preservation
of Paper Base Materials include:
1. Reformatting:
it has to do with photocopy microfilm and digitalization.
2. Temperature:
Mating environmental in such a condition that will slow deterioration.
3. Handling and Storage of
Materials: Library materials should be properly
handled and stored on smooth shelf.
Preservation
of Non Paper Material
i.
Digitalization
ii.
Sound recording
iii.
Weeding replacement
How
to Control or Protect the Library Material from Deterioration or Method
1. Controlling
the environment
2. Past
control
3. Binding
of book
4. Handling
of materials
5. House
keeping
6. Laminating
of library materials
7. Adequate
ventilation (air conditioning)
Problem
of Preservation and Conservation
1. Political
unrest or war
2. Lack
of acknowledgement of need of preservation by government
3. Saving
of valuable resource to custodian
4. Lack
of fund
5. Physical
isolation
Reference:
These are materials that are meant for
consultation not to be read from page to page. Examples year book, manuals,
directories, encyclopaedia, dictionary.
References
Agrawal, O.P (1993) Conservation of Art
Objects and Library Materials New Delhi, Material Book Trust
Alegbeye, G.O (2000) Preservation and Conservation
of Library and Archival Materials. A Selective Bibliography Prepared by G.O
Algebond for JICPA Ibadan
Annount J.M (2000) Libraries of the Ancient
Cities of Mountain International Preservation News 21:21
Arfenis P and H Jauis (1993) Archives in
Cambodia Neglected Institutions Archives Advanced Education Australia
Cunha G.M and D.G Cunha (1992) Conservation
of Library Materials, a Memorial and Bibliography on the care, Repair and Deterioration
of Library Material I and II Metunchen Scare Crows Press
Lecture Hand Manual
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