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Posted by: Tana Villafana
Cindy Connelly Ryan, Preservation Science Specialist, recounts her trip to the 50th annual meeting of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) this May, held in-person for the first time since 2019.
Posted in: Conservation, Events & Outreach, Heritage Science
Posted by: Samantha Schireson
Liz Peirce, Objects Conservator, describes her experience conserving a rare example of the Great Seal of the Realm and the attached treaty between Great Britain and Cuba.
Posted in: Conservation, Preservation, Rare Books and Special Collections
Posted by: Tana Villafana
For over a decade, scientists at the Library have been using sealed, low-oxygen anoxic display encasements for the concurrent exhibition and preservation of iconic objects. The Library currently maintains two of these exhibition encasements for displaying iconic maps by Abel Buell and Martin Waldseemüller.
Posted in: Conservation, Heritage Science, Preservation
Posted by: Tana Villafana
Every year the Preservation Directorate of the Library of Congress participates in American Library Association’s Preservation Week. This annual celebration highlights preservation efforts in libraries, archives, museums, historical societies and collecting institutions in communities all across the country. Fenella France, Chief of the Library’s Preservation Research and Testing Division (PRTD), started out Preservation Week with a heritage scientific introduction to the world of fragments.
Posted in: Conservation, Heritage Science, Preservation, Preservation Week, Rare Books and Special Collections
Posted by: Samantha Schireson
Conservation Treatment of a WWI Panoramic Photograph, a guest post by Alisha Chipman, Senior Photograph Conservator in the Conservation Division at the Library of Congress. This panorama is part of the Nelson W. Jordan family papers held by the Manuscripts Division. Nelson W. Jordan (1842-1922) was born enslaved in Albermarle County, Virginia.
Posted in: Conservation, Preservation
Posted by: Tana Villafana
Staff at the Library of Congress love to showcase the collections with the public. As exhibitions are being planned , the Conservation Division (CD) and Preservation Research and Testing Division (PRTD) have been collaborating to assess the items selected for display. As part of this process, staff in CD typically review every item in an exhibition to determine how to safely display it. This review includes evaluating possible treatments, the kinds of mounts or cradles for display, and various ways that lighting might affect the item.
Posted in: Conservation, Heritage Science, Preservation, Tools of the Trade
Posted by: Samantha Schireson
Prior to the rise of printing, medieval libraries were filled with handwritten, manuscript books and documents. Many of those items no longer exist in their original form; some were thrown away when their contents became outdated or no longer useful, others were discarded and replaced with printed books. But some were taken apart, and their covers and pages were repurposed. Some of these pages, which are called fragments, can be found in the collections of The Library of Congress. This post is about a project to conserve these fragments.
Posted in: Conservation, Preservation, Rare Books and Special Collections
Posted by: Tana Villafana
This is a guest post written by Meghan Wilson, a Preservation Science Specialist in the Preservation Researching and Testing Division. Meghan runs PRTD’s multispectral imaging system, often unveiling the invisible within the Library’s collection. Amidst the Revolution, Alexander Hamilton sought solace in his love for Elizabeth Schuyler. Their correspondence is filled with moments of fondness, …
Posted in: Conservation, Heritage Science, Preservation, Tools of the Trade
Posted by: Tana Villafana
This is a guest post by Cindy Connelly Ryan, a Preservation Science Specialist in the Preservation Research and Testing Division (PRTD). Her research areas include the light sensitivity of inks, dyes and organic colorants, deterioration and stabilization of verdigris and iron gall ink, technical study of collection items, and re-creating obsolete historic recipes for artists’ …
Posted in: Conservation, Heritage Science, Preservation, Tools of the Trade