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Posted by: K.F. Shovlin
The staff of the Processing and Preparation Section have a high standard for the bound items that leave their doors. As part of that pursuit of perfection, they pick up on certain bits of language, both foreign and computer programming. This is the first post of a series on that pursuit.
Posted in: Collections Management, Preservation, Tools of the Trade
Posted by: Bobbi Hinton
Register to join us at the Library of Congress on September 13th from 10 am - 4 pm. Speakers will address the history of the Irish manuscripts, complementary research projects in which they are involved, and the results of the analytical techniques involved in the research. As Inks&Skins is a collaboration between heritage science and humanities, the importance of a visualization platform to share the results with humanities scholars will also be discussed.
Posted in: Fragments, Heritage Science, Pigments, Preservation, Tools of the Trade
Posted by: Bobbi Hinton
My summer at the Library was spent capturing data from colored pigments in order to build a reference database. Using a high-tech portable FTIR instrument, I prepared samples and collected infrared readings from 50 pigments in the Library’s collection using three of the portable instrument’s attachments. I compiled 150 measurements in order to create the database’s foundation.
Posted in: Heritage Science, Internships, Pigments, Preservation, Tools of the Trade
Posted by: K.F. Shovlin
How exactly does the coolest stuff in the world make its way from hundreds of countries all over the world into the hands of patrons of the largest library in the world? 2023 Junior Fellow Kathleen Senn describes her experience working in the Preservation Services Division on Inventory Review Protocols for International Collection Materials.
Posted in: Care and Handling, Collections Management, Internships, Preservation, Tools of the Trade
Posted by: Aaron D. Chaletzky
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world with over 173 million cataloged items. For the past decade, digitization of this enormous collection has increased exponentially. The Preservation Services Division (PSD) is responsible for a huge portion of this effort, managing contracts for the digitization of millions of pages of books, newspapers, and microfilm frames each year. All of this imaging results in a lot of data, hundreds of millions of files, and this is how we manage that data.
Posted in: Collections Management, Preservation, Reformatting, Tools of the Trade, Uncategorized
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: 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
Posted by: Tana Villafana
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 …
Posted in: Conservation, Heritage Science, Music, Preservation, Sound Recordings, Tools of the Trade