Collections
Good Practice
- Two books – one affected by light
By following some simple guidelines, it’s possible to substantially extend the lifetime of volumes, manuscripts, works of art and other cultural objects.
Enemies of Collections
As we know, a book is an organic object, and is therefore not expected to survive indefinitely. The rate at which a book deteriorates can be accelerated by factors such as:
- Poor environmental conditions
- Infestation
- Mould growth
- Light
- Water
However, in an unintentional manner, we ourselves may well be the worst destroyers of books due to the way we handle our collections.
By understanding the main enemies of our collections, it’s possible to realise that we can avoid most of them. We can then follow some simple guidelines in order to prolong the life of our valuable objects.
Click the headings on the left to learn more about some of the enemies and what you can do to lessen their effect.
