User:Tkalata/Acid Paper Program in Poland

The Acid Paper Program in Poland is a Polish government, long-term, national mass deacidification program approved in November 1999. Its goal is to preserve library and archival materials originating from 19th and 20th centuries which were published on acidic paper.

Overview
Polish libraries and archival repositories are facing a significant problem of acid paper which causes paper embrittlement from acid decay (slow fire). Awareness of the danger can be dated to 1936, when a librarian, Bonawentura Lenard published his appeal for better quality of produced paper, pointing out that Polish cultural heritage is at stake. Surveys conducted in one of the biggest libraries at Jagiellonian University indicate that 97% of books and materials published between 1850 and 1996 are printed on acid paper and are or will become brittle in the future. To analyze the depth of the problem and undertake appropriate prevention steps in 1999 Polish government after an initiative of preservation specialists from major repositories established the long-term Acid Paper Program. The program is coordinated by the National Library in Warsaw with cooperation of few leading in preservation science centers. It has in its scope following projects:
 * analysis of the extend of degradation of a collection caused by acid substances and biological corrosion
 * preventive measures which include the production of archival paper, legislative actions and reformatting by microfilming
 * elimination of threats which include deacification and the strengthening of paper.

Participating Institutions

 * National Library, Warsaw
 * Jagiellonian University, Kraków
 * Nicholaus Copernicus University, Toruń
 * Head Office of State Archives, Warsaw
 * Instytut Celulozowo-Papierniczy, Łódź

Program Goals
At the present moment (2007) program is in the last, third phase - acquiring mass deacidification equipment and building a network of preservation centers.

First stage

A-1. An evaluation of the state of preservation of Polish library and archival collections originating from XIX and XX century conducted by the National Library in Warsaw and the Head Office of State Archives
 * Preservation surveys conducted in four major libraries and three archival repositories using a modified Stanford method.
 * An analysis of level of acidity of the same edition books conducted in 20 libraries and archives in different regions of Poland to determine local circumstances and influence of pollution.
 * A general preservation questionnaire for housed in about 200 libraries and archives materials.

A-2. Development of microbiological and conservatory methods of mass preservation of collections. For realization of this project responsible is Zakład Konserwacji Papieru i Skóry in the Nicholaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
 * Modification of conservatory microbiological methods for deacidified materials.
 * Establishment of rules of safe house keeping, research on optimal condition for long term preservation.
 * Development of preservation standards and rules for libraries and archives

Second stage

B-1. Limiting production and acquisition by repositories of materials published on acidic paper. (Instytut Celulozowo-Papierniczy in Łódź)
 * Development of technology of archival paper production.
 * Production of archival paper and storage boxes.
 * National certification system for archival paper.

B-2. Preparedness for legal initiatives relating to rules governing the use of acid-free paper. Monitoring the observance of these rules.
 * Education efforts to increase knowledge about permanent and archival paper by librarians, archivist and paper distributors.
 * Publications of information about availability of acid-free paper.

Third stage

C-1. Creation of the network of centers equipped with microfilming appliances and launching a program of microfilming of endangered XIX and XX century materials selected for this purpose while accomplishing goals A and B.

C-2. Purchase the network of installations in order to enable mass deacidification and reinforcement of books and archival materials.
 * Analysis of available on the market technologies for deacidification.
 * Acquisition of selected technologies first by two centers, in Krakow and Warsaw and then by three more centers.
 * Efforts to educate a new generation of specialists in mass deacidification.

Mass Deacidification Technology
Participating in the Acid Paper Program organizations selected and implemented two types of technology for mass paper deacidification: Neschen C900 and Bookkeer III.

Neschen C900.

Technology developed in the State Archives in Bückeburg, Germany and produced by a firm, Neschen. Single sheets of documents are immersed in deacidifying solution containing magnesium bicarbonate, a component used for de-acidification and production of alkaline reserve in paper, methyl-diethyl-cellulose (used for sizing and strengthening of paper, a necessity since water can degrade the glue used in paper production)and print-fixing additives preventing flowing of inks. Width of the feeding mechanism is 105 cm which allows processing of large paper sheets. Deacidification process takes about 8 minutes. The deacidification price of one A-4 sheet is about 10 American cents, this being the costs of chemical reagents, media and human work.

Bookkeeper III.

Technology developed in the United States of America in 80's of XX century. It's creator, Richard Spatz established in 1987 a company named Preservation Technologies to provide stabilization processes for library and archival paper materials. Currently the Bookkeeper method is one of the most popular mass deacidification procedures. The Bookkeeper equipment allows to deacidified both books and single sheets of paper. Cylindrical "reactor" can hold 4-6 volumes. The process improves in general cleanliness of the books, lacks of observable color changes, lacks of discernible odor, and does not distort books. It is worthy to notice that it requires only a minimal selection of treated materials. Yearly efficiency of the system installed at the library of Jagiellonian Univestity is about 40,000 book.

Program Financing
The way of financing of the program and its procedures are governed by agreement between the Minister of National Education, the Minister of Economy, and the Minister-Chairman of the Committee for Scientific Research. The program is fully financed from the government sources. Cost of the project for years 2000-2008 is estimated to be $25,6 millions.

History

 * 1985-1994 – Research on condition of books published in XIX and XX century conducted by Bronisław Zyska, a professor at Uniwersytet Ślaski.
 * 1995 – Establishment of the Association for Preservation of Library and Archival Resources
 * January 1998 – A memorandum “ O potrzebie ratowania dziedzictwa kultury polskiej w zbiorach bibliotecznych i archiwalnych XIX i XX wieku” addressed to the prime minister of Polish goverment (authors: A. Barański, J. Grochowski, A. Malinowski, D. Nałęcz, K. Zamorski)
 * November 1999 – the Council of Ministers establishes a long-term program for the years 2000-2008: „Acid Paper. Mass-scale Saving of Endangered Polish Library and Archive Collections”.
 * 2000 – A three years research project to investigate status of the preservation in library and archival holdings conducted by the National Library in Warsaw, the Head Office of State Archives, the Nicholaus Copernicus University in Toruń and the Cellulose-Paper Institute in Łódź
 * October 2003 – Equipment for mass deacidification (C 900 Neschen) of single pages of paper installed in Jagiellonian University in Krakow.
 * 2005 - Research Group at Chemistry Department at Jagiellonian University inaugurated cooperation in European project "PaperTreat", which goal is to develop a new methodology for analysis of mass deacidification
 * December 2005 – Apparatus for deacidification of books (Bookkeeper III) installed in the Jagiellonian University
 * December 2006 – the National Library acquired equipment for mass deacidification (C 900)