PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS

 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 materials against natural disaster

2.     To preserve library materials 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 materials 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 materials 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 materials 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 materials.

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.

–      Biologicalagent: 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 Materials

       i.            Digitalization

     ii.            Sound recording

  iii.            Weeding replacement

How to Control or Protect the Library Materials 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