Volume 1, Number 3
May 1988

Early Research

The following citation and abstract is taken from the IPC's bibliography, "Permanence" (Bibliographic Series, No. 213, by Jerry Byrne and Jack Weiner, 1964).

108. Frante, J. "Serious Danger for our Libraries." Mitt. Kgl. Material 26:137(1908)

A great outcry has been raised against the use of cheap Printing Papers (wood fiber) in the books and other publication in our libraries. Works of the most important character in the Berlin University Library showed when tested (with phloroglucinol) for wood fiber, very large amounts of this material. Of 246 papers tested by the Materialprüfungsamt, only 1.6% fulfilled all conditions as suitable printing papers. This result the "Amt" says is more due to bad material than to faulty manufacture. According to the Prussian Staatsministerium the following requirements should be met: fiber length, 3000 m.; stretch, 2.5%; number of double folds, 40. The suggestion is made that all library copies be printed upon special paper which for works of general interest shall be at least of class 8a. Newspapers are of the utmost historical importance. Files of leading papers should be kept in the libraries. An official sheet to be kept for a library specimen would cost less than 120 marks per year and it need not be used for general reading. An addition of 1 mark in 60 would ensure a book's lasting a hundred years rather than being doomed to a speedy destruction. Scrutinizing the results of 435 tests on papers from various books and publications by the Materialprüfungsamt, only 32.9% showed required length of fiber, only 35.8% showed sufficient stretch; and only 17.97. met both requirements. Leading scientific publications were on papers that gave extremely poor tests. The remedy lies in the placing of watermarks on all papers. The libraries must demand special copies and furthermore unit test them themselves. Finally, it should be determined by law what class of papers should be used for the various classes of publications.