Preserving Library and Archives Collections: The Need for Performance Based Paper Standards, 2000 Pulping / Process & Product Quality Conference Proceedings

M. M. Byrnes--The earliest printing and writing papers were composed of handmade cotton or linen rags. Many have survived hundreds of years in excellent condition. In the nineteenth century, the rise in demand for paper led to the development of mass production methods. The introduction of alum rosin as a sizing agent resulted in high levels of acid in paper and is a major cause of the deterioration of library and archives collections today. Over the past twenty years, many millions of dollars have been spent to salvage the information printed on brittle paper and delay the deterioration of acidic though not yet brittle paper used for books and documents of lasting value. among the preservation methods used are microfilming, photocopying onto permanent paper, employing deacidification techniques to neutralize the acid, controlling temperature and relative humidity in collection storage areas, and reducing exposure to ultraviolet radiation and pollutants. In the mid nineteen-eighties, several successful campaigns were launched to promote awareness of the need for papermakers to produce and publishers to specify alkaline paper for their publications. A permanent paper standard for publications and documents in libraries and archives was approved in 1984 and revised in 1992. These standards included specifications for pH, minimum alkaline reserve, and maximum lignin content for papers intended for long term retention. During the past decade, the large-scale conversion to alkaline papermaking in the U.S. has been a very welcome development for libraries and archives. Changes in papermaking technology, however, have created demand for test methods that can be used to evaluate the longevity of modern papers under various conditions of temperature, humidity, light, and pollution. It is hoped that such tests will lead to the development of reliable performance based standards and help to prevent future preservation problems for library and archives collections.