The Preservation Research and Testing Division conducts analytical studies on the material composition of collection items to further scholarly research, conservation treatment, and preservation of the Library’s collections. The Library's analytical studies characterize the chemical composition and condition of materials including pigments, paints, inks, coatings, and substrates such as paper, parchment, and papyrus.
Media
- Verin Noravank Gospels: Technical Study of Pigments, Inks, and Coatings
- Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address Draft: Technical Analysis of Writing Media
- Portolan charts: Technical Analysis of Inks and Pigments
Substrates
- Hot-Air Balloon Cloths: Characterization of Coated Fabrics from Historic Collections of 19th Century Hot-Air Balloon Fragments
- Portolan charts: Parchment Dating by 14C analysis
Auxiliary Materials
- Book Furniture in the Hain Collection: Metal Clasp Corrosion
- Salted Paper Prints: Investigation of Hinge Assembly-Induced Degradation
- Gerhard Sisters Photographs: Characterization of Photographic Media, Mounting Materials, and Related Degradation Issues
Center for Library’s Analytical Science Samples (CLASS)
- Barrow Book Collection: Characterization and Access
- TAPPI Standard Paper Reference Collection: Characterization Using Optical and Scanning Electron Miscoscopy
- Forbes’ Pigment Reference Collection: Characterization Using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)
Instrumentation
Related Research Initiatives
- Corrosive Media: Iron Gall Ink
- Composition of Smalt Pigment Additives in Modern Paper
- 14C-AMS Dating of Silver Gelatin Photographic Prints
