Paper and books

Books and paper objects are very susceptible to damage caused by light, heat, pests and physical forces. With proper care and storage, these objects can be displayed and kept in museums, libraries and archives for years. The following resources provide information and advice on how to care for paper and books.

Preventive conservation guidelines for collections

• Caring for paper objects

Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) Notes

• N1/6 Time Capsules (1995)
• N3/4 Psocids or “Book Lice”: A Warning of Dampness (1998)
• N11/1 Making Protective Enclosures for Books and Paper Artifacts (1996)
• N11/2 Storing Works on Paper (1995)
• N11/3 Glazing Materials for Framing Works on Paper (1996)
• N11/4 Wheat Starch Paste (1993)
• N11/5 Matting Works on Paper (1997)
• N11/6 Removing Paper Artifacts from Their Frames (1993)
• N11/7 Basic Care of Books (1995)
• N11/8 Display Methods for Books (1994)
• N11/9 Framing Works of Art on Paper (1995)
• N11/10 Encapsulation (1995)

Technical Bulletins

• TB 11 Dry Methods for Surface Cleaning of Paper (2001)
• TB 22 The Stability of Photocopied and Laser-printed Documents and Images: General Guidelines (2000)
• TB 23 Guidelines for Humidity and Temperature for Canadian Archives (2000)
• TB 24 Water Quality for Treatment of Paper and Textiles (2001)
• TB 28 Guidelines for pH Measurement in Conservation (2007)

Other CCI resources on this topic

• Basic care – Books
• Basic care – Globes
• Basic care – Paper documents and newspaper clippings
• Looking at Paper: Evidence and Interpretation (1999)

Related CCI resources

• Agents of deterioration
• Basic requirements of preventive conservation
• Handling heritage objects
• Light damage calculator

External links

• What Makes a Book Rare? (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/1, 1993)
• Care and Security of Rare Books (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/2, 1993)
• Use and Handling of Rare Books (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/3, 1993)
• Archives: Preservation Through Photocopying (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/4, 1993)
• Removing Original Fasteners from Archival Documents (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/5, 1993)
• Attachments for Multi-Page Historic Documents (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/6, 1993)
• Archives: Reference Photocopying (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/7, 1993)
• Judging Permanence for Reformatting Projects: Paper and Inks (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/14, 1995)
• Storing Archival Paper-Based Materials (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/15, 1996)
• Housing Archival Paper-Based Materials (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/16, 1996)
• Handling Archival Documents and Manuscripts (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/17, 1996)
• How to Care for Bound Archival Materials (PDF format) Conserve O Gram 19/18, 1996)
• A Phase Box for the Protection of Books (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/23, 2001)
• How to Preserve Acidic Wood Pulp Paper (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/24, 2001)
• Planning and Managing a Microfilming Project for Preservation and Access (PDF format) (Conserve O Gram 19/25, 2008)
• Caring for Private and Family Collections (Northeast Document Conservation Center)
• Image Permanence Institute
• Le montage et l’encadrement des œuvres sur papier (PDF format) (in French only) (Centre de conservation du Québec)
• Paper Conservation Catalog (American Institute for Conservation)
• Preservation Leaflets (Northeast Document Conservation Center)