This is a guest post written by Peter Alyea. Peter is a Preservation Science Specialist in the Research and Testing Division of the Library of Congress and has been working with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on imaging recorded sound collections for preservation and access since the inception of the IRENE project. Although making audio recordings …
It’s Fall! Time to break out those comfy sweaters. Time to hold a mug of warm cocoa in two hands and watch yellow tinted leaves slowly topple to the ground. Perhaps some of us are looking at the rich textures and thinking “I wonder if I could get a great color out of that leaf?” …
Nothing says Halloween quite like Apocalypses and giant Hellmouths. The Preservation Research and Testing Division (PRTD) wanted to know what this Hellmouth was made of. So, we dove right in. This blog was written jointly by Tana Villafana, Meghan Wilson, Amanda Satorius, and Stephanie Stillo. Meghan Wilson and Amanda Satorius are Preservation Science Specialists in …
This is a guest post by Lynn Brostoff, a chemist in the Preservation Research and Testing Division. Her research interests include the characterization of iron gall ink, verdigris pigment, and glass deterioration. Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford (left), Curator, and Lynn Brostoff (right), Chemist, examining a Laurent flute in the Music Division’s Flute Vault. Photo Credit: Larry …
This is a guest post by Kimberly Chancellor and Heidi Vance, two Junior Fellow summer interns in the Preservation Research and Testing Division. Kimberly is a recent graduate from Texas A&M University where she earned her BS in Anthropology. Heidi is a current paper conservation graduate student at Northumbria University. This summer we had the …
This is a guest post written by Amanda Satorius, Preservation Science Specialist in the Preservation Research and Testing Division. Her work includes completing historical pigment and paper production research, as well as expanding and preserving the Cultural Heritage Analytical Reference Material (CHARM) collection. She is also part of PRTD’s “Go Team” of scientists that use …
This is a guest post by Andrew Davis, a chemist in the Preservation Research and Testing Division, who is active in PRTD’s outreach efforts. Andrew works to understand polymeric materials in the Library’s collection, such as paper, adhesives, and audiovisual materials, and he also researches the effects of light and the environment on collections objects. …
This is a guest post written by Dr. Eric Monroe, Head of the Scientific Laboratory Section of the Preservation Research and Testing Division. One of his research interests involves examining the impact and consequences of volatile compounds and odors in the Library. The presence of odors throughout the Library of Congress is hardly a …
This is a guest post by Cindy Connelly Ryan, a Preservation Science Specialist in the Preservation Research and Testing Division. Her research interests include the light sensitivity of inks, dyes and organic colorants, deterioration and stabilization of verdigris and iron gall ink, and historic recipes and working methods for artists’ materials. Over the ever-lengthening months …
