Welcome to the Conservation Studio
The conservation studio cares for the collections by protecting material and making it available for future generations. The conservators are specialised in book and paper conservation, a discipline which combines history, science, ethics and practical skills.
Conservation Gallery
Washed map of Leinster by John Speed between bondina
Adhering Kozo tissue to area of loss in a Gaelic manuscript
Dirty smoke sponges - used for dry cleaning archive material
Infilled losses in letter with Japanese paper to stabilize document edge
Removing glassine paper with wheat starch paste poultice
Digital thermohygrometer used to measure temperature and relative humidity
Resewn sections on linen tape before lining spine
Custom made four-flap enclosures made with acid free board
Detail of Silverfish damage to front cover of a book
About Conservation
Conservation tends to fall into two areas; preservation and intervention.
Preservation is the preventive measures taken to control the environment, storage, handling and display. The temperature, relative humidity, pests and light are monitored and assessed for potential risk to the historic material. Results from condition surveys inform our level of access to particular collections and inform our programme for interventive work.
Interventive conservation is the treatment of an individual item in order to stabilise or consolidate. All these treatments are documented, minimally invasive and reversible.
Conservation Staff
- Louise Walsworth Bell, Conservator
Contact Us
Phone:
01-7086904
Address:
Russell Library
St. Patrick's College,
Maynooth University,
Maynooth, Co. Kildare.
W23 VP22
e-mail:
Paper Conservation
Paper is a flexible support made up of cellulose fibres. These fibres can be found in all plant matter, including cotton, hemp, straw and wood. Early European papers were handmade from recycled textiles which would be gathered and sorted by their quality. In the C19th, rag supplies could not keep up with demand so woodpulp was introduced as a much more plentiful source material. From a conservation perspective, paper is vulnerable to three main agents of deterioration: physical damage, chemical deterioration and biological attack.
Book Conservation
The ubiquitous and familiar book is a complex three-dimensional object. It was designed to be functional, portable and robust. The structure and style of bindings inform us of the priorities and limitations of the culture in which they were created as much as the handwritten or printed content. As conservators, understanding the nuances of these structures is crucial to informing access, storage and creating an appropriate interventive treatment plan.
