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State Library of Queensland  >  Our services  >  Collection preservation  >  Conservation  >  Activities

 

 

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Collection Preservation info guides

Activities

The State Library's conservation team includes 13 skilled conservation technicians, qualified conservators and bookbinders. At the core of our work is the care and understanding of the collections. We use a combination of "preventive" and "interventive" activities.

Preventive conservation

The State Library pursues an active program of preventive conservation. Reduction, and where possible, elimination of the causes of deterioration is the most effective and least expensive strategy for collection care. Some vital components of the preventive conservation schedule are outlined below.

Environmental monitoring and control | Enclosure construction | Integrated pest management | Disaster preparedness | Interventive conservation | Collection surveys | Documentation | Paper conservation | Book conservation | Photograph conservation | Film conservation | Exhibitions conservation | Bookbinding and reference repairs | Outreach activities | Visiting the Conservation Laboratory

Environmental monitoring and control

  • One of the most effective ways of protecting collections from deterioration is to ensure they are stored in a carefully controlled environment.
  • Relative humidity, temperature, air quality and light levels are routinely monitored in critically controlled areas such as:
  • repositories
  • cold storage vaults
  • dedicated exhibition spaces
  • collection work areas.
  • A Building Management System (BMS) is installed throughout the building and regularly checked. Data is compared to information obtained from dataloggers and thermohygrographs.

Environmental Monitoring

Conservation Officer, Elizabeth,
monitoring the temperature
and humidity using a datalogger
to ensure specified levels are maintained 

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Enclosure construction

Magnified-Memory_sml

Archival housing for electroplated shoes, part of an artist book also containing electroplated garlic and onions.
Magnified Memory created by Deb Porch [new window]
  • It is important to select enclosure designs and materials that do NOT cause deterioration or physical damage of collection items.
  • Boards, plastics and papers used to house collections are carefully chosen to meet stringent conservation guidelines.
  • Large proportion of enclosures for heritage collections are constructed by the Conservation Unit.
  • The collection that often proves the most challenging to house is the Artists’ Books Collection

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Integrated pest management

Checking and cleaning incoming donations in Quarantine.

Preservation Assistant, Sandra, checking and cleaning incoming donations in Quarantine.
  • Success of Integrated Pest Management program depends upon a number of important factors including the organisation-wide staff cooperation and implementation of a range of proactive activities to minimise the risk of pest and mould activity.
  • State Library boasts a dedicated Quarantine facility where Conservation staff inspect incoming loans and donations for signs of fungal or pest activity.
  • Affected collections are treated using either low oxygen or freezing. NO chemicals are used.
  • Blunder traps are placed throughout the buildings to help detect early signs of insect activity and are regularly checked.

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Disaster preparedness

• The State Library has a disaster preparedness and response plan in place.
• Disaster preparedness is an ongoing process that:

  • identifies risks and potential hazards to the collections
  • takes steps to eliminate or reduce risks whenever possible
  • develops and maintains a disaster response capability to minimise damage or loss in the event of a disaster.

State Library of Queensland's bulk disaster store

State Library of Queensland's bulk disaster store

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Interventive conservation

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Collection surveys

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Documentation

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Paper conservation

  • The State Library has a diverse collection of printed and original paper based collections including maps, posters, art works on paper, and a significant manuscript holding.  Much of the collections contain objects made with acidic wood pulp paper which is inherently unstable and requires a high level of treatment. Common treatments undertaken include:
    • cleaning to reduce surface dirt
    • repairing tears
    • infilling areas of paper loss (see image to right)
    • reinforcing brittle or pulpy paper by lining with Japanese paper
    • and consolidation of unstable media such as
      thick applications of pigment.

Paper conservation

Working on a light box, areas of loss are infilled with Japanese paper by carefully matching the shape of the missing sections. The repair paper is carefully toned to match the original paper.

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Book conservation

  • The State Library holds one of the largest collections of rare books published in or about Queensland.
  • Conservation staff treat a diverse range of binding styles.
  • Books that incorporate organic and inorganic material require collaboration between the different conservation specialisations.
  • Common book treatments include:
    • re-backing damaged spines
    • repair sewing
    • page repairs and
    • cover refurbishment.

Book Conservation

Assistant Conservator, Shane, repairing the inner joint
of a damaged page, prior to re-sewing.

To learn more about how to look after your own book collections, please see our Caring for Your collections Info Guide on books and bound materials

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Photograph conservation

  • The State Library's John Oxley Library contains an extensive photographic collection.
  • All significant negative and positive photographic processes from daguerreotypes to chromogenic prints are represented.
  • The extremes of Queensland’s climate creates some common problems for photographic material including:
    • mould and insect activity as a result of sustained periods of high temperature and humidity
    • embrittlement and flaking of emulsion when conditions are too dry.
  • To protect the photographic and motion picture collections from extremes in environmental conditions the State Library has two climate controlled repositories and three dedicated cold storage vaults for their long term storage.
  • Treatments include emulsion consolidation, surface cleaning, infilling and toning of areas of loss, and removal of acidic, deteriorated backing boards.
Photo conservation
Repairing an albumen print panorama.

To learn more about how to look after your own photographs, please see our Caring for Your Collections Info Guide on photographic collections.

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Film conservation

  • Our Audiovisual Conservator assesses the physical and chemical condition of the motion picture film and audiovisual collections.
  • If necessary, the films undergo treatment such as:
    • surface cleaning
    • fixing perforation damage
    • repair splicing.
  • Each year, a number of unique and significant films depicting Queensland Memory are selected for digitisation and placed on the State Library website for all to enjoy via web streaming
  • The majority of films treated are cellulose acetate with a small amount of cellulose nitrate.
  • Both these film supports are inherently unstable and require specific handling and storage requirements.
  • The motion picture films are housed in the State Library's cold storage vaults.

Film conservation

Attaching new leader to 16mm film.  The leader protects the film and allows a safe place to write cataloguing details.

For further information on how to care for your own film collections, please see our Caring for Your Collections Info Guide on motion picture film collections.

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Exhibitions conservation

Exhibitions conservation

Preservation Assistant, Lesley, mounting a hand embroidered textile in preparation for exhibiting.
  • Exhibitions conservation employs a combination of preventive and interventive methods.
  • Staff work closely with staff from the State Library's Public Programs – Events and Exhibitions area.
  • Other important activities that exhibitions conservation staff perform include:
    • object assessment and condition reporting including incoming and outgoing loans. It is important to record detailed information on the physical and chemical condition of an object prior to display or a loan.
    • on an object’s return to Conservation it is condition checked again to help identify any damage that may have been sustained during display or transport
    • framing, mounting, design and construction of display supports
    • assessment of display conditions and materials
    • preparation and protection of collections for transportation
    • conservation components of installation and de-installation of objects on display.

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Bookbinding and reference repairs

  • The Binding Co-ordinator oversees the repair or rebinding of damaged books and music scores from the Reference and Heritage Collections.
  • The State Library is one of the few institutions in Queensland who have professional hand bookbinders on staff.
  • These fast disappearing skills are used to create fine bindings for presentations and facsimiles of originals. 

Brass rollers for applying ornate gold tooling to leather and cloth book covers.

Brass rollers for applying ornate gold tooling to leather and cloth book covers.

Binding Co-ordinator, sewing an album onto linen sewing tapes using a wooden sewing frame.

Binding Co-ordinator, John, hand sewing an album onto linen sewing tapes using a wooden sewing frame.

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Outreach activities

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Visiting the Conservation Laboratory

If you would like to see the Conservation Laboratory, visit the Preservation Wall display on the 5th floor of the State Library’s South Bank building. This wall provides visitors with an overview of Collection Preservation’s activities and the two observation windows allow you to watch what is happening in the laboratory.
Please contact us if you are interested in a back-of-house tour of the Conservation Laboratory.

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More information

If you have an enquiry, you can contact us in any of the following ways:

 

Last updated: 8th June 2011

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