Preservation Science Home: National Preservation Research Agenda | Research Projects | Analytical Projects | Quality Assurance | Instrumentation
The Preservation Directorate has an Analytical Services Program that analyzes the material composition of collection items to further scholarly research, conservation treatment, and preservation of the Library’s collections. This Program characterizes the chemical composition and condition of a range of materials, including pigments, inks, coatings and substrates such as paper, parchment, and papyrus. The following table provides periodic updates for a typical selection of projects.
Media
- Verin Noravank Gospels: Technical Study of Pigments, Inks and Coatings
- Draft of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: Technical Analysis of Writing Media
- Portolan charts: Technical Analysis of Inks and Pigments
Substrates
- Hot-Air Balloon Cloths: Characterization of Coated Fabrics from Historic Collections of 19th Century Hot-Air Balloon Fragments
- Portolan Charts: Vellum Dating by 14C analysis
Auxiliary Materials
- Book Furniture in the Hain Collection: Metal Clasp Corrosion
- Salted Paper Prints: Investigation of Hinge Assembly-Induced Degradation
- Gerhard Sisters Photographs: Characterization of Photographic Media, Mounting Materials, and Related Degradation Issues
Center for Library’s Analytical Science Samples (CLASS)
- The Barrow Book Collection: Characterization and Access
- The TAPPI Standard Paper Reference Collection: Characterization Using Optical and Scanning Electron Miscoscopy
- The Forbes’ Pigment Reference Collection: Characterization Using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)
Instrumentation
Related Research Initiatives
- Corrosive Media: Iron Gall Ink Corrosion
- Composition of Smalt Pigment Additives in Modern Paper
- 14C-AMS Dating of Silver Gelatin Photographic Prints