The Preservation/Conservation Unit was established within the Department
of Special Collections in the UNLV Libraries in October 1999 to
retard the physical and chemical processes that result in deterioration
of materials housed in the Libraries, to eliminate hazards to those
materials, and to repair damages already incurred. Preservation
and conservation principles will be integrated into all units in
the Libraries in order to prolong the life and usefulness of UNLV
Libraries’ materials.
Preservation is an indirect method of treatment in which
the environment around an item is changed. This includes stabilizing,
maintaining, and monitoring temperature, humidity, light exposure,
air pollution, dirt, dust, and mold. Preservation also includes
surveying the condition of the building and the collections; the
construction of protective enclosures using acid-neutral or buffered
materials; proper storage and handling techniques; security, including
theft, vandalism, and the use of food, drink, and tobacco in the
Libraries; insurance; disaster prevention, preparedness, and recovery;
and education, training, and outreach programs for staff, patrons,
the University community, and the public.
Conservation is a direct method of treatment in which an
item is physically or chemically changed. This includes cleaning,
deacidifying, repairing, rebinding, and reformatting. All conservation
treatments entail the least intrusive methods possible, and use
acid-neutral or buffered materials. Some materials, such as pastes,
fungicides, and marbled papers, will be made in-house to ensure
their quality. Until such time as an archivally sound method of
reformatting has been universally accepted, the Preservation/Conservation
Unit will limit reformatting recommendations to microfilming and
photocopying onto acid-neutral paper. Due to the amount of materials
in the UNLV Libraries’ collections needing treatment, all initial
conservation treatments will be limited to the UNLV Libraries’ collections.
Articles:
Recent Activity in the Laboratory:
Presentations:
Contact Information:
Michael Frazier
michael.frazier@unlv.edu
Conservator |
