Conference on Deacidification

15th Annual NARA Preservation Conference
Deacidification Reconsidered
National Archives Building
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC
March 28, 2000
8:45 a.m - 5:00 p.m.

The National Archives and Records Administration's Annual
Preservation Conferences cover topics on the creation, use,
exhibition, care and handling, conservation, duplication, and
long-term storage of information on paper, film, tape, and disk.
This year's Conference will bring together conservation scientists,
preservation professionals, and conservators to discuss technical
issues related to deacidification.  A number of deacidification
methods exist to preserve library and archival paper records.
Selecting deacidification as a treatment option involves
understanding the distinction between various methods and what they
accomplish, and a careful assessment of the materials to be treated.
Concerns that often guide the decision include: the nature and
condition of the paper substrate; the media and other non-paper
materials that may be part of the items; the dimensions, format, and
quantity of items requiring treatment; the intrinsic value of the
material; the efficacy of the proposed method; and evaluation of
one's resources. Technical issues relating to these concerns will be
the focus of the program.

An opportunity to discuss products and services with various
deacidification manufacturers will be available during the lunch
break and at the end of the conference.

Schedule

8:45 Welcome

    Michael J. Kurtz
    Assistant Archivist, Office of Records Services
    Washington, DC National Archives and Records Administration

8:55 Introduction

    Kathy Ludwig
    Conservator, Document Conservation
    Laboratory, NARA

9:00 Chemical, Architectural, and Mechanical Features of "Paper" and
Its deterioration: An Overview

    Hal Erickson
    Preservation and Conservation Studies
    Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University
    of Texas at Austin

        A brief review of the chemistry of paper's major components,
        of the architecture of the paper matrix and the internal
        architecture of paper "fibers," and of the mechanical
        interactions that determine the working properties of a
        sheet. This will be followed by a review of how these
        insights inform our understanding of the mechanisms of paper
        deterioration.

9:35 Mechanisms of Washing and Mass-Deacidification

    Hal Erickson
    Preservation and Conservation Studies
    Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University
    of Texas at Austin

        An overview at several levels of the very different
        mechanisms of washing and mass-deacidification, with special
        emphasis on the necessity of understanding both as processes
        that occur at phase boundaries. Prerequisite concepts not
        addressed in the preceding presentation will be covered,
        notably including mechanisms of solvation, morphology of
        alkaline reserves and the distinction between pH and
        alkaline reserve.

10:45 Chemical Studies of the Beneficial Effects of Calcium-Enriched
Wash Water

    John Bogaard
    Research Scientist
    Carnegie Mellon Research Institute

    In the course of treating archival materials or works of art on
    paper the conservator may want to immerse the object in water
    containing trace amounts of calcium. Recent research has
    explored the chemical benefits of such treatments and results of
    treatments with various calcium containing baths have been
    compared.

11:25 New Insights into the Effects of Deacidification Treatments
and Storage Environments on the Life of Paper-Based Collections

    Chandru Shahani
    Chief, Preservation Research and Testing Division,
    Library of Congress

        Research carried out over the past few years suggests that
        acidic paper ages at a rate that is appreciably faster than
        has been indicated by currently accepted laboratory-aging
        tests. Implications of these findings for deacidification of
        paper and for its long-term storage will be discussed.

Lunch Break (on your own)

    Manufacturers' representatives will be available in Room 105 to
    describe their specific deacidification processes.

1:30 Saving the Written Word: Mass Deacidification at the Library of
Congress

    Kenneth E. Harris
    Director, Preservation Projects
    Library of Congress

        The presentation will describe how a mass deacidification
        program can be successfully adopted and managed in a library
        setting, focusing on selection criteria, work flow and
        quality control measures, and unexpected benefits of such a
        program.

2:10 Mass Deacidification: Considerations for Archives

    Norvell Jones
    Chief, Document Conservation Laboratory
    NARA

        Archival holdings have more in common with manuscript
        collections than libraries, but there are still some
        significant differences that influence how archives decide
        to approach mass deacidification. They include intellectual
        control issues and questions of diversity of format and
        media.

3:20 All in a Day's Work: Why and How I Deacidify

    Christine Smith
    Paper Conservator
    Conservation of Art on Paper, Inc. Alexandria, VA

        This presentation will discuss the factors one conservator
        weighs when deciding whether to deacidify various kinds of
        objects. Direct and indirect deacidification methods will be
        described, with reference to aqueous calcium and magnesium
        compounds and a non aqueous magnesium spray. The hazards of
        potential color changes will be addressed, and tools the
        speaker has found useful and problematic in deacidifying
        will be mentioned.

4:00 Treatment of Previously Deacidified Paper Artifacts

    Elissa O'Loughlin
    Senior Conservator, and
    Anne Witty, Conservator
    Document Conservation Laboratory, NARA

        This paper looks at the impact which previous
        deacidification may have on the treatment and care of paper
        artifacts.

4:40 Closing Remarks

    Kathy Ludwig
    Conservator
    Document Conservation Laboratory, NARA

Manufacturers' representatives will be available in Room 105 to
describe their specific deacidification processes.

Preregistration is required. The Registration Fee is $75.00 Please
send check payable to: National Archives Trust Fund and/or obtain
registration information from:

    Eleanor Torain
    Conference Coordinator (NWT)
    8601 Adelphi Road, Room 2807
    College Park, MD 20740-6001
    301-713-6718
    Fax: 301-713-6653
    <preserve [at] nara__gov>

<URL:http://www.nara.gov/arch/techinfo/preserva/conferen/2000.html>
has a link to an Adobe PDF version of the registration form.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:31
                Distributed: Tuesday, November 23, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-13-31-012
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