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Ligue des Bibliothèques Europeénnes de Recherche, Groupe des Cartothécaires de LIBER
In October 1985 the Swedish National Archives took decisive steps; a reference group was formed including, in addition to the National Archives, the Royal Library at Stockholm, the university libraries in Uppsala, Lund and Gothenburg, the Swedish National Department of Antiquities and the National Land Survey Department. During the last year the special working group appointed has, among other things, achieved the following, which is the basis and starting-point for the proposal now being forwarded to the Government.
Three questionnaires were drawn up, for:
The most usual kind of damage reported is caused by wear and tear, acid paper, and damage occasioned by moisture and mould. The greatest need for conservation was found at the National Archives and the Swedish War Archives, the main regional archives, and the City Archives of Stockholm and Malmö. The museums in general felt that their foremost need lay in map conservation. Maps, drawings and posters were also of great concern to different municipal archives. When asked if they thought it would be possible to send some of their material elsewhere for centralized mass and other conservation, 42% said yes. Only about 13% thought that they could afford to start conservation measures under their own direction. The need for conservation before microfilming of certain groups of materia1 was a1so stressed.
The large number of maps and drawings needing conservation is probably due to the fact that these types of documents are easier to count than other paper documents - and the damage is often more striking to the eye. Due to their format they are also more exposed to handling damage when frequently used. For documents other than maps a broad spectrum of damage was reported: dirt, acidification, flaking caused by ink, insect attacks etc.; for maps the predominant kind of damage was due to acid paper or handling. Those institutions having a binding and conservation unit of their own usually found them too small. More rational and timesaving methods were also asked for as regards mass de-acidification and repair of mechanical damage caused by handling. Some also stressed that earlier, faulty repair of maps caused a lot of extra work. What most institutions want is concentration on the fields of mass de-acidification, paper-repair, analysis of the effects of air pollution and on durability. I also want to quote some of the general comments and conclusions of the working group in connection with the inquiries.
Paper manufactured after 1850 has in many cases low durability. The raw materials (e. g. wood pulp) and the manufacturing methods used have resulted in the gradual deterioration of the paper and in the threat of disintegration. The most drastic example of rapid ageing are the daily newspapers. Much of the information that now and in the future will be preserved in our libraries and archives is, alas, stored on paper of uncertain quality. In an average research 1ibrary 95% of the co1lection is made up of books, newspapers and manuscripts produced after 1850. The scope of the problem has now been revealed through a compilation of the resu1ts of the questionnaires sent out to archives and libraries in the spring of 1986.
The main questions facing institutions where documents are preserved are as fo1lows: How rapidly is the 'creeping catastrophe', as one he ad librarian drastically put it, spreading in Sweden?
Investigations must be undertaken into the ageing qualities of material produced in Sweden and kept in a Swedish climate.
After this general analysis and commentary, and after further discussion by the reference group, a proposal is now being forwarded to the Government to obtain the economic and personnel resources for research and development work in the field of paper conservation. This will also involve the paper industry in producing a paper with better qualities and greater durability. It is emphasized that all the international investigations and experience in this field must be complemented by research based on conditions in Sweden. The intention is now to start a four-years project which is to be regarded as only the first part of a further national project concerning preservation matters in general such as microfilming, storage etc. The aim, in short, is to contribute in an essential way to the answering of the questions raised by the analysis and commentary .This is to be done by specialized projects on e. g.:
Parallel to the national activities, and in a way forming a part of them, I can report that the University Library of Uppsala some weeks ago received an affirmative answer from DFI (Delegation for Information Processing) to their request for money to make a special investigation into the physical condition of the collections of the library .This project is regarded as an essential part of the research and development work necessary for the care and protection of research material and the cultural heritage in archives and libraries as well as of museum objects made of paper. During 1981 a small group of enthusiasts at the University Library of Uppsala started informal meetings to discuss how to cope with conservation, handling, storage and climate problems of the collections. Some measurements were also made of air and moisture and light intensity in the stores and the exhibition room. One of the main consequences of the group's activities was the employment -at last- of a fully qualified conservator. The National Archives also intend to apply to DFI for a similar investigation for their own material.
Finally, there are two other Swedish projects, one concerning conservation of maps and the other the repair of archive material. One has already been started, the other one is being planned, both of them being part of a general Swedish employment program on a regional level, in an at tempt to get rid of a bit of the domination of the southern part of Sweden. The first one is the new Map Conservation Unit of the National Land Survey Department situated in Ange. It was decided on by the Government in 1984 and is now, two years later, fully developed. Its main aim is to meet the major part of the future need for map conservation among the survey units attached to the provincial authorities in Sweden. The staff consists of eighteen technicians, one conservator and one chief. The annual capacity is so far 1.000-1.500 badly damaged maps. The intention is to create a centre of advanced map preservation and conservation. The unit is also meant, in the long run, with the addition of more financial resources and personnel, to serve clients other than the provincial authorities. Then, of course, their services will be adequately charged for. The problem is, the handling of material during the long journey from the clients to Ange and vice versa. Many libraries, archives and other institutions have consequently been rather hesitant when asked about how much material they would be willing to send to a conservation centre of this kind for mending and/or conservation. This also goes for the second project planned for Kiruna which, inter alia, concerns archive documents. For those institutions with little or no funding to start conservation activities themselves it may, however, turn out to be the only -though probably not especially cheap- solution for material otherwise doomed to destruction.