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Category: Preservation

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

Preservation Intern Profile: Sarah Lundy

Posted by: Aaron D. Chaletzky

This is a joint post by Aaron Chaletzky and Sarah Lundy. This past May, the Preservation Services Division (PSD) took on a new Preservation Intern: Sarah Lundy. Sarah is currently enrolled the Masters of Science in Information program (MSI) in the School of Information (UMSI) at the University of Michigan (UMich). She comes to PSD …

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

Preserving Some Special Books in the General Collection

Posted by: Beatriz Haspo

This is a guest post from Christopher Spehr, inventory management technician of the Inventory Management and Document Fulfillment Section at the Collections Management Division.   We are in an era of unmatched popularity for the bicycle. More and more people are riding bikes for transportation and for recreation every day. Washington D.C. has become a …

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

No Labs? No Problem (for PRTD’s Interns)!

Posted by: Tana Villafana

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. …

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – The Scent of Our Collections and the Things That Hold Them

Posted by: Tana Villafana

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 …

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

Material Spotlight: Housing a Soviet Era Star Wars Poster

Posted by: Samantha Schireson

This is a guest post written by Jennifer Phiffer. Jennifer is a Conservation Technician in the General Collections Conservation Section. Her primary  duties are the housing and repair of collection materials. Earlier this year I was very excited to receive a new acquisition from the European Division, a movie poster that needed a custom oversized …

Close-up view of two hands carefully at work on an aged, yellowing manuscript with handwriting

So Many Islands in the Sea of Stories

Posted by: K.F. Shovlin

  “So Many Islands: Stories from the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian, and Pacific Oceans” is a collection of stories from the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. It was edited by Nicolas Laughlin with Nailah Folami Imoja with an introduction by Marlon James, winner of the Man Booker Prize. It was published in 2018 by Peekash …