10 Shelving, maintenance and preservation
Mrs C M Anand
I. Objectives
The objectives of the unit/module are to:
- Understand the techniques of shelving and maintenance
- Identify different types of stacks and stacking methods for print and non-print materials
- Know the importance of conservation and preservation of library materials.
- Understand the causes for deterioration of library material and the procedures to be followed for their long term preservation.
II. Learning Outcomes
After studying this unit/ module, you will be able to know the advantages of proper shelving of different types of library material; identify various types of shelves and stacking arrangements available; arrange books, periodicals, and other types of library material; explain various activities involved in maintenance of library material; maintain and take care of books, periodicals and other types of library material; define and differentiate between preservation and conservation; and know various techniques available for preserving and prolonging the life of library material.
III. Structure
1. Introduction
2. Shelving of Collection
2.1 Shelving Arrangement
2.2 Type of Stacks and Stacking Methods
2.3 Shelving of Books
2.4 Shelving and Display of Periodicals
2.5 Shelving of Newspapers
2.6 Shelving of Non-Print-Media
3. Maintenance of Collection
3.1 Shelf Rectification
3.2 Library Guiding System
3.3 Stock Taking/Verification
3.4 Weeding
3.5 Repair of Books
3.6 Binding
4. Preservation of Library Collection
4.1 IFLA-PAC Network
4.2 Preservation Activities in India
5. Preservation
6. Causes of Deterioration of Library Materials
6.1 Internal Causes of Deterioratio
6.2 External Causes of Deterioration
7. Reformatting
7.1 Reformatting Processes
8. Summary
9. References
1. Introduction
Library material is acquired, processed and displayed on the shelves by all types of libraries for their respective users. In order to attract and encourage the users to use the library collection effectively, it is essential that the material is aesthetically displayed, orderly arranged and kept in good physical condition. This work is carried out by the maintenance department of the library. Maintenance work involves, shelving, re-shelving, maintaining orderly arrangement of the collection and taking care of all types of library material and associated equipment. In fact, the ultimate success of all other functions of the library, such as acquisition, classification and cataloguing, are dependent upon efficiency of the maintenance work. If library collection is not properly displayed and maintained, it will not attract the library users and ultimately mars the image of the library.
This Module/unit deals with shelving, maintenance and preservation of library material.
2. Shelving of Collection
Arranging books and other material on the library shelves is known as shelving. Shelf work is physical maintenance of the stacks and involves sorting, shelving, shifting and shelf reading. Material to be shelved varies greatly in size and shape ranging from very large atlases and maps to small books, filmstrips, pamphlets, periodicals, audio/visual material, microforms, CD-ROMS, DVDs and so forth. Correct shelving of various types and sizes of the stock is imperative if the items are to remain in good physical condition. The library material to be shelved comes from a number of sources, such as
i. New books and other material received after processing;
ii. Borrowed books returned by the users after use; and
iii. Books and other material used by the readers and left on the tables.
According to access to the library material on the shelves, the library may have Closed Access System or Open Access System.
a. Closed Access System
In closed access system, the library users are not permitted to enter the stack room area. Only library staff searches and brings the books required by the users. This system has many disadvantages. Firstly, if required book is not available then library user has no facility to browse the collection and select an alternative. Secondly, library staff’s precious time is wasted in searching and bringing the books required by the users. And, thirdly, the collection is not put to optimum use.
b. Open Access System
Here, the library users are permitted to enter the stack room area to browse the collection and select the desired items. While browsing the collection, user may come across other material which may be of use to him/her. This system puts the collection to better use as well as saves the precious time of the library staff. However, users sometimes misplace and mishandle the collection, which places extra burden on the staff. Both the systems have their advantages and disadvantages. At present, most of the libraries use open access system for regular collection and closed access for rare books and books which are in high demand.
2.1 Shelving Arrangement
Library arranges the library material according to the classification scheme in use in the library. Majority of the public and academic libraries in India use Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme and special libraries use Universal Decimal Classification Scheme. If library uses Dewey scheme, its stock in the library is arranged on the shelves in a numerical sequence from 000 to 999 and its decimal placing. This makes the books on the same subject to be placed together for browsing. This is the best type of arrangement because it facilitates subject approach which is most popular among the library users. However, at times, library uses different sequences for specific type of collection for the convenience of the users. For example, in public libraries the fiction collection is arranged alphabetically by authors’ name and not by class number. Depending upon the shelving arrangement, it may be Broken Order Arrangement or Parallel Arrangement.
Broken Order Arrangement
This term is applied when a library deviates from arranging the entire collection based on chosen classification scheme. For example, Dewey provides a place in the literature class for fiction books. But, many libraries do not use that classification and arrange fiction books separately from non-fiction books and in alphabetical order rather than classified order.
Parallel Arrangements
This term is applied when libraries have more than one sequence of non-fiction stock. For example, reference books which are not issued to the library users are shelved separately from the lending stock and over-sized books are shelved separately from the normal sized books.
2.2 Type of Stacks and Stacking Methods
There is wide range of racks available in the market for shelving and storage of library material. All these racks within the library are collectively called as stacks. The type of stacks and stacking methods may vary from library to library. Main criteria for selection of stacks for the library is that the stacks should be robust, durable and have adjustable planks to accommodate different sizes of library material. Stacking methods should be such that maximum floor space is utilized and at the same time there should be enough space for the user to move among the stacks.
Fixed Shelves with Double Rows
These stacks have fixed shelves where material can be arranged in double rows. Here material in the back row can be accessed by swinging the books in the front row. The disadvantage of this type of stack is that the material in the rear row is not visible directly. (Fig.1)
Hinged Shelves
Here two shelves are joined with hinges on one side and one shelf is fixed and other is mounted in front of the hinges. (Fig.2)
Cantilever Style Shelving Stacks
These are also known as bracket shelving units and are made of steel. It is the most common type of shelving unit used for books and multimedia material. The unit comprises oftwo upright metal support columns with slots for fixing the shelves. It is supported by load bearing base structure. The shelves are bracket attached in series of slots running the length of the upright. The slots permit shelves to be easily adjusted to place material of various heights. (Fig. 3) The shelves can be bracket attached to form single faced or double faced shelving unit. In single faced shelving unit (Fig. 4)shelves are hung on one side only and the unit is placed against the wall. In double faced shelving unit (Fig. 5) the shelves are hung on both the sides. The sections of free standing shelves are usually bolted together and made aesthetically more pleasing by installing end panels and a canopy top. This type of shelving units are flexible, strong and cost effective.
Case-Style Shelving Stacks
Case style shelving term refers to shelving system that uses full vertical units from floor to top and also have adjustable shelves that fit into these vertical units. Case-style shelving has a closed base shelf assembly and a canopy top. This style of shelving usually comes on a chip core or particleboard either on wood or metal. Case-style shelving units give finished appearance and are used in places where aesthetics is more important than cost efficiency. (Fig. 6)
Compact Shelving Stacks
Compact shelving is also called high density moveable aisle. Basically compact shelving is a set of stacks that ride on moveable carriages over rails that are installed on the floor. They can be operated manually or by motorized drive system. This type of shelving is used in libraries which have space problem, because it eliminates the need to keep open space for aisles in between shelving units. This increases the number of volumes that can be placed within a given area over that of conventional shelving. Compact shelving can increase the densities of books per square foot from 20 to 100 volumes. Compact shelving can be used in libraries for collection that is not open to the public, such as rare book collection or for storing very old books for archival purposes. (Fig. 7)
Rolling Stacks
These are metal stack units mounted on ball bearing wheel placed side by side. (Fig. 8)
Multitier Stacks
This type of stacking system consists of stacks from floor to the roof. The system is constructed with self supported metal framework extending from basement to the roof and designed to carry the book load with the weight of deck floor. (Fig.9)
Shelving units are available in various heights. The most common standard heights are 42”, 66”, 78” or 90” high. The height of the shelving units should be selected on the basis of material to be shelved and the target users. Children’s materials are normally shelved on 42” and 66” high units and other material is shelved on higher units.
2.3 Shelving of Books
Books on the shelves are arranged by their call numbers. Call number of a book is unique number by which it is identified. No two books in the same library will have same call number. Call number consists of class number, book number and collection number. For example, a book on “Introduction to Social Sciences by G. B. Atkinson has the call number “D 301 ATK’ . Here ‘D’ stands for collection number, ‘301’ class number and ‘ATK’ for book number. Book number is first three letters of author’s last name. If there is more than one book by the same author the subsequent copies will have call number as ‘D 301 ATK 1’ and ‘D 301 ATK 2’ and so on.
Shelving work involves shelving of new books received after technical processing and re-shelving of returned books and books used by the readers and left in the reading room. Before shelving the books are first sorted into smaller workable lots according to their call numbers and shelf location. Each lot is then carried to the shelf location by hand if lot is small or by book trolley if it is big. There is wide range of such trolleys available in the market. (Fig. 10 & 11)
While shelving the books, make sure that all the books stand straight on the shelf by aligning all spines even with the edge of the shelf. At the same time volumes should be shifted to the left side of the shelf and held together with the book support. While using the book support make sure that books are neither too tightly packed, nor left too loose. (Fig. 12) Books should be held together in such a way, that it is easier to remove a book from the shelf by holding the middle of the book spine and taking the book out without disturbing adjacent books. Books are arranged from up to down in a book stack starting from uppermost shelf. In each shelf they are arranged from left to right. While shelving Keep sufficient space in each shelf for collection management. Working collection requires shelves that are 70 to 75% full. The extra space is required for efficient re-shelving, interfiling of new acquisitions, and multivolume sets. (Fig. 13)
2.4 Shelving and Display of Periodicals
Libraries display current issues of periodicals in the general reading rooms or have a separate reading room where periodicals are kept and displayed. For displaying periodicals periodical racks are used. These display racks are of three types:-
i. Step Type
ii. Pigeon Hole Type, and
iii. Inclined Type
Step Type
In this type of rack periodicals are displayed step wise. These racks have 4 to 5 steps and on each step 4 to 5 periodicals can be displayed. These racks are either single sided or double sided. On a single sided rack generally 20 to 25 periodicals can be displayed. However, in this type of display system there is no provision to store back issues of the periodicals. (Fig. 14)
Pigeon-Hole Type
This type of rack has two parts, one being a cupboard at the bottom and other pigeon hole at the top. Usual height and width are 7.5 by 6 feet. The depth is about one foot in the pigeon hole where current issues are kept. Cupboard portion is for storing back issues of the periodicals. Disadvantage of this system is that periodicals cannot be displayed properly. (Fig. 15)
Fig.15: Pigeon-Hole Type Display Rack
(Source: www.indiamart.com)
Inclined Type
This is a box type of rack with horizontal shelves, each covered with wooden planks with an inclination to the shelf plank. The shelves can be partitioned into pigeon holes, each hole being provided with wooden support where current issues of the periodicals are displayed. Inclined plank provides better way of displaying periodicals. Back issues of periodicals are kept in the pigeon hole behind the planks. This type of displaying system is considered best and is an improvement over the pigeon-hole type of racks. (Fig. 16)
Bound volumes of periodicals are shelved like books on the book stacks. The arrangement is alphabetical by title and within the same title by year.
2.5 Shelving of Newspapers
Paper copies of newspapers present storage problems. The quality of the paper is often poor and it becomes yellow and brittle over time. Earlier back issues of newspapers used to be bound and stored. However, storing massive bound volumes was a difficult task for the libraries. Presently back issues of newspapers are either microfilmed or digitized for storage and archival purposes and current issues of newspapers are displayed on the newspaper racks in the reading rooms. (Fig. 17 & 18)
2.6 Shelving of Non-Print-Media
Non-print media like films, audio-cassettes, video cassettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc. are shelved separately and away from the open access book stack area, because of the inherent nature of the material. The material is susceptible to damage caused by dust, scratching, mishandling, etc. by the library users. Possibility of theft is also there as some of the items like cassettes can be easily stolen. This material is normally kept in media room or computer room where the equipment for playing the particular media item is available. Most of these items are packaged in such a way that these can be easily shelved like books. Care should be taken while shelving these items. For example films which are supplied in their own cylindrical containers, should be shelved vertically and not horizontally. Vertical storage allows retrieval of specific film without having to lift off several others, as would happen if they were stored horizontally on top of one another. For audio/ video cassettes and CD-ROMs and DVDs special display racks are available. In most of the libraries this material is kept in closed access and empty cases are left on open display which gives details of particular item. (Fig. 19 & 20)
3. Maintenance of Collection
Maintenance of collection is one of the important tasks in the library. It involves continuous monitoring of the stack rooms and display areas. Maintenance work involves shelving and re-shelving the material, keeping the collection in order, taking out books which are not in order and re-shelving them in proper place. It also includes identifying and removing books needing repair, regular cleaning and dusting the area and protecting the collection from dust, heat, direct sunlight, moisture, insects and pest infestation, as well as ensuring that all sign boards and library guides are properly displayed and are in good order and condition to guide the users to various areas of the library.
Following work is carried out on routine basis by the maintenance staff in the library:-3.1 Shelf Rectification
According to Ranganathan, shelf rectification is the process of restoring order among the books. In an open access system, users take out books and misplace them in the shelves. A wrongly placed book is as good as lost. Therefore, besides vigilance, shelf rectification should be carried out regularly by the maintenance staff. The work pertaining to shelf rectification consists of shelf-reading, shifting and shelf straightening.
Shelf-Reading
Shelf reading is synonymous with shelf checking. It means checking the arrangement of books and other materials in the stacks to ensure that each item is at proper place on the shelf and rearranging any material which is out of order. An item shelved out of order may be lost to the user until the shelves are read. Some of the more heavily used parts of collection require frequent shelf reading, while other parts need to be checked occasionally.
Shifting
Ideally only 70 to 75% of shelf should contain books. As a library adds material to its collection, shelves in some areas become crowded. When this happens, shifting of material becomes necessary to permit future growth. A section of shelves is considered full at about 75% capacity. At this point, books have to be moved from one shelf to the next shelf to create needed space. Major shifting should not be done too often, because it requires proper planning. Therefore, it is better to remove extra books from the congested shelves and redistribute them to theshelves below or above. This process is known as shelf easing.
If major shifting has to take place, it should be planned keeping in view of 5 to 8 years of growth. This process involves measuring the amount of space library material is currently occupying and how much space is needed for the growth in next 5 to 8 years. Then making a shifting plan and finally moving the items to be shifted.
Shelf- Straightening
Straightening shelves and correcting shelving order are ongoing tasks. Books are shelved with spines even with the edge of the shelf. This gives uniform and neat appearance to the rows of books and makes it easier to read the spine label and book titles on the spines. But over the period, the books are taken out for reading and borrowing purposes by the library users, which creates gaps in between the books on the shelf and books start leaning on the shelves. This requires shelf straightening. The work involves going through the shelves one by one and keeping the books in straight line, with their spines even with the front borderline of each shelf.
3.2 Library Guiding System
Library sign boards and stack room guides help the library visitors to self navigate through the library. The sign boards should be clear, simple, and concise to convey full information to maximum number of people. These should be located at appropriate places in the library to catch the attention of the library users.
In stack room area there should be a general sign board clearly indicating how and where different library material is kept and displayed. Besides, there should be following stack guides to help the users:-
Tier Guides for each tier of stacks to indicate arrangements of books in that tier. These guides are required in multitier stacks.
Bay Guides for every bay of shelves indicating the class number and subject heading,
Gangway Guides in each gangway indicating the subject covered in that gangway.
Shelf Guide with each shelf giving the class numbers covered in that shelf.
All these sign boards and guides are periodically checked and replaced if found missing or damaged.
3.3 Stock Taking/Verification
Stock taking or stock verification is physical checkup of the total library collection, carried out annually or once in 2-3 years. Main aim of the stock verification is to find out missing volumes from the library collection. Stock verification also helps in identifying misplaced books, restoring them to their proper place, and cleaning and dusting of the shelves.
3.4 Weeding
Weeding is removal of books from open access shelves either to discard them or to move them to reserve, or remote or compact storage. Weeding is required as some books become outdated in terms of subject matter, such as books on subjects like science and technology; some get damaged and worn out due to excessive usage and are beyond repair; and some ready reference books like yearbooks, directories, etc. which are superseded on the arrival of their new editions.
According to Katz, weeding is one of the best suitable techniques available to ensure long range usefulness of any collection. Policies relating to weeding may vary from library to library. In general, a book is not discarded if it is of historical interest despite its age, or still in demand, and new copy is not obtainable from the publisher, or it covers subject area in which library has an obligation to specialize.
3.5 Repair of Books
Simple repairs can be undertaken by the library maintenance staff. Torn pages may be repaired by using special transparent tapes available from the library suppliers. These tapes do not dry out and become brittle like normal cello-tapes. Cloth tapes may be used to repair damaged spines or to attach a casing which has become loose.
3.6 Binding
Binding of books is regularly carried out by the libraries to safeguard against wear and tear of the books due to heavy use. Loose issues of periodicals are also bound when a volume is complete. In many libraries, binding work is given to the professional binders on contractual basis.
4. Preservation of Library Collection
According to dictionary definition, ‘preserve’ means to save something from loss, damage, decay or deterioration. In library context, ‘preservation’ covers all the activities relating to preserving the library materials, published or unpublished, in all formats, to keep them in accessible form as long as possible.
Earlier preservation and conservation activities were mainly confined to the archives. While in libraries, preservation activity was mainly restricted to binding of damaged books and lamination of fragile documents or manuscripts. It was only in the middle of
20th century when major libraries in the world observed that books published before and during 19th Century had started deteriorating due to the nature of the material itself, that the preservation of library material attracted worldwide attention. In addition to that, the occurrence of natural disasters, such as floods, fire, earthquakes, etc. causing large scale damage to the library material caused concern and international organizations like UNESCO and IFLA came forward with definite programmes with explicit aim of promoting the preservation of library and archival material.
The IFLA Strategic Programme on Preservation and Conservation was officially created during IFLA Annual Conference in Nairobi in 1984 to focus efforts on issues of preservation and initiate worldwide co-operation for the preservation of library material. The IFLA Core Programme on Preservation and Conservation (IFLA-PAC) was launched during 1986 Conference on “Preservation and Conservation of Library Materials”, co-organized by Directors of National Libraries, IFLA and UNESCO. IFLA-PAC has one major goal, that is, to ensure that library and archival materials, published or unpublished, in all formats, will be preserved in accessible form for as long as possible according to the following principles:
– Preservation is essential to the survival and development of culture and scholarship;
– International co-operation is a key principle; and
– Every country must accept responsibility of its own publications.
4.1 IFLA-PAC Network
The network has been originally conceived in a decentralized way:-
– A Focal Point (International Centre)– to implement a global strategy, and
– Regional Centres- to manage activities in that specific region.
Currently PAC International Focal Point is located in IFLA Head Quarters. This has been previously hosted by Bibliotheque Nationale de France in Paris from 1992 until 2013.
4.2 Preservation Activities in India
In India, National Library, Kolkata has four divisions exclusively devoted to preservation and conservation activities. Two divisions are for physical and chemical conservation, third is for reprographic preservation, and fourth is for digitization.
Physical Conservation: Books damaged by human error or by natural causes are mended, repaired and bound.
Chemical Conservation: Advanced procedures of chemical treatment are adopted to restore brittle and damaged books. Fumigation chamber is used to destroy eggs and larvae of insects and termites. Encapsulation is another method used to preserve books.
Reprographic Preservation: Microfilming of old newspapers, Arabian, Persian and Sanskrit Manuscripts are carried out in this division.
Digitization: Scanning and digitization of old, rare and brittle documents are carried out for archival purposes. (http://www.nationallibrary.gov.in/)
Conservation Centres of ICCI
The Material Heritage Division of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) now known as The Indian Council of Conservation Institutes (ICCI), was established for preservation and conservation of decaying art heritage of India. Its first Conservation Centre was established in Lucknow in 1985. Now ICCI has 7 such Centres in different parts of the country. Besides curative conservation, these Centres survey art collections and prepare status report on preservation, advice museums on conservation methods and provide training on conservation. (http://www.intach.org/)
5. Preservation
Preservation is generic term and includes all activities associated with the maintenance of resources and preservation of information content. This is in contrast to conservation which refers to treatment of artifacts in order to extend their useful life. (Clayton and Gorman).
Preservation can be defined as ‘all managerial, technical and financial considerations applied to retard deterioration and extend useful life of library materials to ensure their continued availability.’ Preservation is a preventive measure and more cost-effective than conservation.
Conservation is the treatment of artifacts (such as manuscripts, rare books, works of art, or museum objects) by intervention to prolong their life as long as possible in their original form. Preservation deals with the regular maintenance aspects, whereas conservation deals with the remedial treatment and restoration of the already damaged artifact. Conservation is a skilled activity carried out by curatorial and conservation experts. It should not be undertaken by untrained personnel in the library.
6. Causes of Deterioration of Library Materials
There are internal as well as external causes of deterioration of library material. Internal causes are the nature of the library material itself. External Causes are:
– the environment in which material is kept;
– the way library material is handled; and
– natural and manmade disasters
6.1 Internal Causes of Deterioration
Paper Based Library Material
The traditional library collection like printed books, journals, pamphlets, newspapers, etc. contain wide range of organic material such as paper, cloth, animal skin, adhesives, etc. The library materials undergo a continual and natural aging process due to these organic materials. Measures have to be taken to slow their deterioration by careful handling and providing suitable environment. For example, acid has been major cause of deterioration of publications since paper making was industrialized. In the manufacturing of paper, sometimes fibers are used with low cellulose contents and some chemical compounds like alum, resin, etc. are used for sizing of paper which causes acidic effect and results in deterioration of paper.
Alkaline substances preserve and strengthen paper. Acid free materials have PH of 7.0 or higher. Magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonates are most common alkaline buffers used to strengthen paper.
Film Based Media
There are three main types of photographic materials, viz. cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate and polyester. These materials have been used as support material for making of transparencies, motion pictures, microfilms and other photographic products. Cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate are unstable. Even at room temperature, these chemicals slowly decompose emitting gases in the process. Cellulose nitrate becomes highly inflammable especially in deteriorated condition.
Preventive Measures
Libraries should isolate and store such material in especially designed storage areas. It is recommended that cellulose nitrate based films be duplicated onto polyester based films, which are known as safety films.
Magnetic Media
Magnetic tapes, including audio and video recordings on cassettes, audio and computer reel-to-reel tapes, computer diskettes, etc. are most commonly made of a magnetic layer of chromium or iron oxide bound with an adhesive onto a polyester film base. It is adhesive binder which is susceptible to deterioration through hydrolysis and oxidation. As information stored on magnetic tape is in patterns formed by magnetized particles, any loss or disarrangement of magnetic oxide causes loss of information.
Preventive Measures
Minimize handling and avoid touching the surface of any tape or diskette. Handle tape only in clean area and return tapes and diskettes to their individual boxes immediately after use to avoid possible damage and gathering dust. Maintain operating machines according to manufacturer’s specifications to ensure that equipment will not damage tapes. Clean the recorder tape path thoroughly at the recommended intervals. Fast forward and rewind tapes periodically. Protect the operating equipment and tapes from dust. Backup copies are the best solutions for protecting valuable tapes and diskettes.
Optical Media
CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read only Memory), DVD (Digital Video Disk), etc. may contain audio, computer, and video/picture data. The molded plastic computer disk incorporates a continuous spiral of pits which contains the data. An aluminum reflective layer allows a laser in the computer disk drive to read the encoded information. Data integrity is protected by a lacquer coating on one side and a plastic substance on the other side. Forcefully bending the disk and touching the disk surface with any sharp object damages the disk and results in loss of data.
Preventive Measures
Do not bend the disk or touch the top surface of the disk with a pointed object like pen or pencil. These actions deform the disk, wiping out pits and causing areas of disk unreadable. Do not leave the disk in disk drive. Do not put label, it may unbalance the optical disk and make it difficult for player to read the data. If label is there do not try to remove it. It may damage the data in the disk. Do not use cleaning solvent. Dust should be gently removed using non-abrasive tissue or air gun. Store the disk in acrylic storage cases, to protect the disk from scratches, dust, light and rapid humidity changes. Protect the individually cased CDs further by placing them in closed boxes, drawers or cabinets. This will give additional protection from light, dust and temperature fluctuation.
6.2 External Causes of Deterioration
External causes of deterioration are many and comprise
– Environmental factors, such as light, heat, temperature, relative humidity and air pollution comprising dust, dirt and micro-organisms;
– Insects, pests and rodents;
– Poor handling and storage;
– Theft or vandalism; and
– Natural and man-made disasters
Environmental Causes of Deterioration
a. Light
Exposure to light, natural as well artificial, causes deterioration of paper and other library media. Sunlight, particularly ultra-violet and infra-red radiation, has most damaging effect. Light in all its forms promotes decomposition of organic material through oxidation. This results in weakening and embrittleness of cellulose, adhesives, cloth, and skin materials. It can also cause media and dyes to fade and change color. This alters the legibility and appearance of the books, photographs, works of art and manuscripts. The white paper becomes yellow and brittle. Damage due to exposure to light is permanent.
Preventive Measures
Do not expose the material to direct sunlight. Keep the lights switched off in storage area, when not in use. Light must be kept as low as possible in storage, reading and display areas. Fluorescent tubes, which emit ultraviolet rays, should be fitted with UV filters. Use window blinds and heavy curtains to control direct sunlight from outside.
b. Heat, Temperature and Relative Humidity
Usually the source of heat is high temperature in the atmosphere and electric bulbs used in the library for lighting. Humidity is the amount of moisture in the atmospheric air. High temperature with low humidity causes dehydration of cellulose fiber and paper becomes brittle. It also damages the emulsion of film based material and adhesive binder of audio and video cassettes. On the other hand, high temperature with high humidity creates condition for the growth of fungus or moulds in all organic materials. High humidity is the root cause of various types of physical, biological and chemical deterioration of library materials. It loosens the book binding, spreads ink, and accelerates chemical deterioration of the paper. High temperature also speeds up chemical reaction in all types of library materials including film based material. Severe fluctuation of temperature and relative humidity can cause more damage to the library materials.
Preventive Measures
In general library material should be stored and used in stable conditions, which are not too hot, not too dry and not too damp. It is therefore recommended to maintain constant room temperature of 20- 25 degree Celsius and relative humidity of 45-55%. For this air conditioning of the stack area is required, which comes out to be expensive. An alternative to this is to use humidifiers in dry climate to increase the level of moisture content and dehumidifiers to remove moisture in wet climate.
c. Air Pollution and Micro-organism
Polluted air contains gaseous pollutants caused by burning of fuels and particulate pollutants like dust and dirt. When polluted air settles on surface of the library material it causes physical and chemical damage to the material. Dust acts as a nucleus around which moisture collects and this provides necessary humidity for the growth of fungus and for chemical reaction. Fungus can weaken, stain and disfigure paper and photographic material. Cloth, leather and certain adhesives are also affected by the fungus. As dust and dirt are solid particles of varying size and hardness, they cause abrasion on the surface of the books. Dust and dirt on the optical and magnetic media also hamper access to recorded information.
d. Insects, Pests and Rodents
Insects and pests like cockroaches, silverfish, booklice, beetles and termites cause large scale damage to the library material. They feed on organic material like paper, adhesives, gelatin, leather, and book cloth. Same damage is caused by rodents like rats and mice. In addition to causing damage to library collection, they damage electrical wires as well as furniture of the library by gnawing.
Preventive Measures
Micro-organisms, insects and pests thrive on warm, dark, damp, dirty and poorly ventilated environment. Keep library and surrounding areas clean and maintain an environment which is clean, cool, dry and well ventilated to discourage fungi, insects and pests. Temperature and relative humidity may be maintained at moderate level inside the building where collection is stored. Vacuum cleaning of the shelves and floors, filtering the air coming from outside and cleaning the air ducts of the air conditioning system should be carried out regularly. Water leakages of the drainage pipes should be checked and repaired to prevent dampness. Ensure good air circulation by appropriate use of fans and windows.
Poor Handling and Storage
Another cause of deterioration of library material is poor handling and storage by the library staff and misuse by the library users. Deterioration occurs due to improper shelving, poor maintenance, photocopying, and transportation of the library material by the staff.
Library users damage the books and other material by handling them with dirty hands, marking and underlining the text with pen, folding the fore-edges of pages as mark of reading instead of using book marks and even tearing and mutilating the pages of the books and periodicals.
Preventive Measures
The mishandling of the library material by the library staff is due to their lack of knowledge on proper handling, maintenance and preservation techniques for the safeguard of library materials. This requires organizing proper training programmes for the staff and bringing out guidelines to be followed to minimize damage and help preservation. IFLA and Council on Library and Information Resources have brought out a publication entitled “Principle for Care and Handling of Library Materials”, which deals with details on the above issues.
Proper shelving of collection and its maintenance have already been dealt with in Section 2.1 to 2.6 of this module/unit. Storage of collection is equally important. Enclosures such as boxes, envelops, and folders used for storing the collections should be alkaline buffered and free from lignin or sulphur. Oversize single sheet material such as architectural drawings, blue prints, maps, etc. should be stored flat in chest drawers. If several items are to be stored in one drawer, then each item should be interleaved with acid-free tissue paper. Blueprints should not be stored in alkaline paper, because they may fade or turn brown due to high alkalinity over a period of time. Storage area should always be kept clean, with good air circulation and regularly checked for signs of insects and pests infestations. Water resistant boxes should be used when taking books out of the library building. Photocopying of tightly bound books, fragile and damaged books, rare books, and photographs should be avoided.
Readers should be provided with proper guidelines on how to handle books and what not to do in the reading room. Proper notices should be put up in different places of the library clearly indicating what is not permitted like bringing food items, drinks, smoking, etc. in the library.
Theft and Vandalism
Theft of any library item leads to irreparable loss. Theft may occur in open access area or close access area or even in restricted area of the library. Usually rare book material and expensive collection is susceptible to theft. Vandalism is act of destroying valuable material on purpose. Vandalism also includes damage to the building including collection due to mob fury or war.
Preventive Measures
Library should incorporate all provisions for the security of library building as well as its collection. An alarm system or closed circuit TV may be installed to monitor the movements in restricted areas. All entry and exit points should be separate and have security staff. Expensive equipment may be chained. Rear windows and doors should be kept closed and locked. Storage area should be kept secured and staff area may be locked when not in use. Bags should not be allowed inside the library. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system can be used in the library for circulation operation and theft detection. Here the books have RFID tags instead of barcode system. At the entry and exit gate gates, special sensors are installed which decode the information on the RFID tag of the book. When a person tries to take out a book at the entry or exit gate without getting it issued, the alarm at the gate rings.
Natural and Man-Made Disasters
Disasters, natural or man-made, are generally events with destructive consequences to the library and its collection. Natural disasters may occur due to floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, sand storms or hurricanes. Manmade disasters are because of fire, water leakage or act of war and terrorism. A library should take every possible precaution to prevent occurrence of an avoidable disaster. Equally important are having suitable measures in place to cope with consequences of disasters. Therefore, disaster planning is must for every library. Disaster Plan should be a written document to be used in case of emergency. According to IFLA document, disaster planning involves five phases:
– Risk Assessment: To identify danger to the building and its collection.
– Precaution: Implementing measures which will remove or reduce any danger.
– Preparedness: Developing a written preparedness response and recovery plan.
– Response: Procedures to follow when disaster strikes.
– Recovery: Restoring the disaster site and damaged material to a stable and useable state.
It should be mandatory for every library to have written disaster preparedness and response plan containing description of emergency procedures, disaster response outline, names and addresses of conservation experts, list of staff volunteers, list of external contacts’ names, addresses and phone numbers of fire office, police and insurance agencies, and firms supplying materials required to meet emergency.
Library should have fire and smoke detection system and fire extinguishing system. Inflammable materials and chemicals should not be stored inside the library. Use of match stick or smoking should be prohibited. Electrical faults should be detected and repaired in time. Leakage from the water pipes should be checked and repaired in time.
7. Reformatting
Preserving the intellectual content of the documents in another more durable format is called reformatting. Reformatting is carried out to;
– Preserve intellectual content;
– Reduce wear and tear to the originals;
– Save space: A brittle and badly damaged document may be disposed off after reformatting if intellectual content is the only concern.
– Improve access: Copies of microfilms and digital media can be made to improve access to certain documents.
– Duplicate certain items for security reasons, if originals are damaged, stolen or destroyed.
7.1 Reformatting Processes
There are three main reformatting processes:
– Photocopying
– Microfilming and
– Digitizing
Photocopying
According to IFLA document, photocopying as a reformatting process is not a complete preservation tool, as there is no master copy made from which other copies can be taken. However, it is useful for replacing missing pages or damaged pages of books and periodicals before binding.
Advantages: Except photocopier, no reading interface is required and photocopying costs less than the other processes.
Microfilming
Microfilms can be economically created duplicated and distributed. Microfilm can be digitized if good quality film has been used.
Advantages; Microfilms occupy less space. Most of the libraries keep microfilms of old issues of newspapers for preservation purposes. Microfilms, if stored in proper environmental condition, can last for over hundred years.
Disadvantages: Searching the required image on the microfilm is time consuming. Microfilm reader is required to view the image. Microfilm readers are of poor quality and are not designed for human comfort. Even print out may be of the poor quality.
Digitizing
Digitizing is a way of storing images via computer technology. A digital camera or scanner takes an electronic photograph, which is converted into binary digital code and can be viewed on computer screen or printed on paper. The data can be stored on magnetic or optical media. However, digital image is not text searchable. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software enables a scanned printed document to be converted into text, which can be edited using word processing software. However, this process is not completely accurate and it is time consuming to rectify misread letters.
Advantages: Digitizing provides an image which can be reproduced many times with no loss in quality. Images can be electronically restored and enhanced. High quality user copies can be provided. Automated retrieval aids facilitate finding the information.
Digitizing offers quick access to multiple users worldwide. Digital image do not decay with use.
Disadvantages: It is an expensive process. Due to quick obsolescence of hardware and software technologies, long term storage of library material in this format would create access problems. To deal with hardware and software obsolescence, archival copies of magnetic and optical media will have to be ‘migrated’ whenever new technology comes.
Digitizing and Microfilming Combined
To overcome the problem of obsolescence of hardware and software in digitization, the production of both microfilm master for preservation purposes and digitized masters for access are recommended.
8. Summary
In most of the libraries, the work relating to shelving, display and maintenance of library collection is carried out by the maintenance section. The work involves shelving, re-shelving, and maintaining orderly arrangement of the shelves and taking care of the stored as well as displayed collection in print and in other formats. Most of the libraries arrange books in classified order. This makes the books on the same subject to be placed together for easy browsing by the users. In public libraries, fiction is arranged alphabetically by authors’ name and within the same author alphabetically by the title of the book. A wide range of stack and stacking methods are available. The main criteria for the selection of stacks are that the stacks should be robust, durable and have adjustable planks. The height of the shelving units should be selected on the basis of material to be shelved and the target users.
Preservation of library material is another activity which has attracted worldwide attention. IFLA-PAC Net-Work has been set up to address this issue. It comprises International Centre, i.e., a Focal Point responsible for implementing a global strategy on preservation of cultural heritage worldwide and its Regional Centres (14 in number) which are responsible for preservation of library and archival material in their respective regions. Causes of deterioration of library materials can be internal or external. Internal causes of deterioration of library material are due to the nature of the library material itself on which information is recorded such as paper, films, magnetic tapes, CD-ROM, DVDs, etc. External causes of deterioration due to the environment in which the material is kept, insects, pests and rodents, poor handling and storage and natural and man-made disasters.
There is an old saying that “Prevention is better than cure’. Same holds true for science of preservation. The preventive measures which include all form of action taken to prolong the life of library collection should be followed. This includes keeping the environment clean and dust free, protection from the sunlight, keeping the temperature and humidity under control and proper handling and security of the collection.
9. References
- Adcock, E, ed. IFLA Principles for Care and Handling of Library Material. Hague: IFLA-PAC, 1998. (http://www.ifla.org/)
- Beenham, Rosemary and Colin Harrison. The Basics of Librarianship. 3rd Edition. London: Clive Bingley, 1990.
- Clayton, P. and Gorman, G. E. Managing Information Resources in Libraries: Collection Management in Theory and Practice. London: library Association Publishing, 2001.
- Dhiman, Anil Kumar. A Handbook of Special Libraries and Librarianship. New Delhi: Ess Ess Publications, 2008.
- Dureau, J. M. Clement, D. W. G. Principles for Preservation and Conservation of Library Materials. Hague: IFLA, 1986.
- Hubbard, William J. Stack Management- A Practical Guide to Shelving and Maintaining Library Collection. Chicago: American Library Association, 1981.
- Kenneth, E. Harris and Susan, E. Schur. A Brief History of Preservation and Conservation at the Library of Congress. Library of Congress Preservation directorate, Oct. 2006. Pp 1-30.
- Kedimani, B.S., Kalyani, V. L. , Vijay Kumar. Preservation of Information Resources in libraries: New Challenges. 2003. BOSALA One Day Seminar: Resources Management 2003.
- Mcllwaine, john. IFLA Disaster Preparedness and Planning- A Brief Manual. International Preservation Issues No. 6. Hague: IFLA-PAC, 2006.
- Morris, Lestre R. and Carroll, John E. Compact Shelving. In. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science. Vol. 49. Supplement 12. Allen Kent (ed.). New York: Marcel Dekkar, 1992. P 94-145.
- Shahid, Syed Md. Use of RFID technology in libraries: A new approach to circulation, tracking,inventorying,andsecurityoflibrarymaterial. (http://www.unlib.unl.edu./LPP/Shahid.htm)
- RUSA Guidelines for Preservation, Conservation and Restoration of Local History and Genealogical Materials. (http://www.ala.org/)
Learn More:
Web Sites
http://www.nationallibrary.gov.in/
http://wwww.loc.gov/preservation/
http://www.livinginthelibraryworld.blogspot.com/
DID YOU KNOW?
1. Maintenance work involves, shelving, re-shelving, maintaining orderly arrangement of the collection and taking care of all types of library material and associated equipment.
2. Library arranges the library material according to the classification scheme in use in the library.
3. Non-print media like films, audio-cassettes, video cassettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, etc. are shelved separately and away from the open access book stack area, because of the inherent nature of the material.
4. Maintenance work involves shelving and re-shelving the material, taking out books
which are not in order and re-shelving them in proper place, identifying and removing books needing repair, regular cleaning and dusting the area and protecting the collection from dust, heat, direct sunlight, moisture, insects and pest infestation, etc.
5. Preservation of library material is another activity which has attracted worldwide attention. IFLA-PAC Net-Work has been set up to address this issue. It comprises International Centre, i.e., a Focal Point responsible for implementing a global strategy on preservation of cultural heritage worldwide and its Regional Centers