Iron‑gall Ink Treatments at the Library of Congress: Old Manuscripts ‑ New Tools
Claire Dekle, Preservation Specialist and Senior Book Conservator
Mary Elizabeth Haude, Senior Paper Conservator
Conservation Division
April 28, 2009
About the Lecture:
The Library of Congress Conservation Division's Protocols for Iron‑Gall Ink Treatment Group (PIT) incorporated recent scientific findings into treatment practice and developed a unified approach to the conservation of paper‑based collections containing iron‑gall ink. Between 2006 and 2008, Library conservators refined the PIT methodology and tools as they used them to guide treatment of books and documents containing iron‑gall ink at various stages of deterioration. This presentation demonstrateD the use of the PIT tools in recent conservation treatments of 18th‑century American manuscripts.
About the Speakers:
Claire Dekle
Claire Dekle is a Preservation Specialist and Senior Book Conservator at the Library of Congress, where responsibilities as a conservation liaison to the Manuscript Division have re‑focused her interest in the conservation of iron‑gall ink‑inscribed materials. Before joining the Conservation Division in 2003, she held conservator positions in research and special libraries, including the Smithsonian Libraries. Claire received a M.S. in Library Service and a Certificate in Library and Archives Conservation from Columbia University.
Mary Elizabeth Haude
Mary Elizabeth Haude joined the Library of Congress Conservation Division in 2003 as a Preservation Specialist and Senior Paper Conservator. As conservation liaison for unbound materials to the Manuscript Division, she spends a large portion of her time treating manuscripts written in iron‑gall ink. Previously Ms.Haude worked at the Huntington Library where she held the positions of Conservator and Head Conservator. She received a B.F.A. in studio art in 1989 and an M.L.I.S. with an Advanced Certificate in Conservation in 1997 from the University of Texas at Austin.
