The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 48, November 28, 2004, Article 4

COMPANY DEACIDIFIES BOOKS FOR LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

  A company we've mentioned in previous E-Sylums, Preservation
  Technologies, is highlighted in a new article about the
  company's contract with the Library of Congress:

  "In a heavily guarded building in Cranberry, a battle is
  being waged around the clock to save the world's super
  heroes.

  The enemy? The relentless forces of time and nature.

  The weapon of choice to ensure our heroes' survival?
  An antacid.

  The site of the war is Preservation Technologies, a
  company that has developed a revolutionary process to
  save paper, including comic books.

  The process earned the firm a five-year contract from
  the Library of Congress to save about 100,000 comic books,
  including Superman and Spider-Man, as well as not-so-super
  characters such as Richie Rich.

  "Comic books are a challenging type of material," said
   Mark Sweeney, chief of the preservation reformatting
  division at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.,
  which houses the largest comic book collection in the
  United States.

  Because comics are printed on highly acidic wood pulp
  paper, similar to newspapers, even the utmost of care
  won't arrest their eventual decay, he said, and other
  preservation methods don't work well for comics."

  "Preservation Technologies uses a gentle, nontoxic process
  to apply microscopic particles of magnesium oxide -- the
  same ingredients found in over-the-counter antacids "
  to neutralize the acid in paper.

  "Our chemist predicts that the treatment will make the
  average book last between 300 and 800 years," said Ken
  Harris, preservation projects director for the Library of
  Congress. Untreated, books degrade and become brittle in
  50 to 100 years, he said, "but we can avoid that now."

  "One reason this process is catching on throughout the
  world and is so popular with the Library of Congress is
  because it's so cost-effective," Harris said. He estimated
  that books can be deacidified for about $16 each,
  including shipping. "If we reformatted the same book, it
  would cost between $85 to $120 to microfilm and about
  $300 to $1,900 to digitize," he said.

  Since 1999, individuals have been able to buy Archival
  Mist, a spray developed by Preservation Technologies,
  to preserve items such as newspaper clippings and
  scrapbooks.

  To read the full article, see: Full Article

  [The company's web address is Preservation Technologies
  They do not sell their consumer products directly, but
  Offer them through a reseller, EK Success (800.524.1349).
  According to the web site, "Archival Mist and its
  companion, Paper Bright, help paper resist the effect
  of age by neutralizing acid, absorbing UV light,
  protecting colors, and retaining brightness in paper
  keepsakes. They preserve and protect paper-based
  materials including letters, envelopes, newsprint,
  certificates, artwork, and pamphlets. Paper Bright and
  Archival Mist are environmentally safe and their
  ingredients are non-toxic."

  Do any of our readers have recent experiences to share
  with us regarding the use of deacidification products in
  numismatic literature?  Periodicals and auction catalogs,
  particularly those of the early 20th century seem
  especially vulnerable.  -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization 
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

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