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Apologies for the mistakes in last week’s announcement, the registration links have been corrected.
Topics in Preservation Series (TOPS): Inks and Skins
The manuscripts created from calfskin by secular scholars in Ireland prior to 1600 contain vernacular traditions that are extraordinary witnesses to Gaelic civilization and learning on the western limit of the known world. As artefacts of that civilization, the manuscripts themselves, their creation and survival, have their own tales to tell.
One current project, Inks and Skins, seeks to unearth that narrative by focusing on how and by whom these handmade books were created. It is led by Prof. Pádraig Ó Macháin, Professor of Modern Irish in University College Cork. In 2019 Prof. Ó Macháin was the recipient of an Irish Research Council Advanced Laureate Award, which funds the project. The research has involved a combination of enhanced visual analysis, multi-spectral imaging, and X-Ray Fluorescence scanning, together with a range of complementary spectroscopies and techniques. The object has been to understand the writing supports and the composition of inks and pigments used by the secular scholars who created Gaelic vellum hand-written books in the period 1100-1600. Manuscripts before and after the medieval period are studied for comparative and contextual purposes, as are other manuscripts of the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Early in the project a fruitful collaboration was established with the Library of Congress, where staff of the Library’s Preservation, Research and Testing Division, led by Dr Fenella France, provided their skill and expertise in the analysis of the manuscripts. Speakers will address the history of the Irish manuscripts, complementary research projects in which they are involved, and the results of the analytical techniques involved in the research.
Come join us for a series of lectures on this project September 13, from 10am to 4pm. Register to attend in person at the James Madison Building 101 Independence Ave SE, Washington DC
Mumford Room – 6th Floor
Or you can join us through Zoom.
Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.
The manuscripts created from calfskin by secular scholars in Ireland prior to 1600 contain vernacular traditions that are extraordinary witnesses to Gaelic civilization and learning on the western limit of the known world. As artefacts of that civilization, the manuscripts themselves, their creation and survival, have their own tales to tell.
One current project, Inks and Skins, seeks to unearth that narrative by focusing on how and by whom these handmade books were created. It is led by Prof. Pádraig Ó Macháin, Professor of Modern Irish in University College Cork. In 2019 Prof. Ó Macháin was the recipient of an Irish Research Council Advanced Laureate Award, which funds the project. The research has involved a combination of enhanced visual analysis, multi-spectral imaging, and X-Ray Fluorescence scanning, together with a range of complementary spectroscopies and techniques. The object has been to understand the writing supports and the composition of inks and pigments used by the secular scholars who created Gaelic vellum hand-written books in the period 1100-1600. Manuscripts before and after the medieval period are studied for comparative and contextual purposes, as are other manuscripts of the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Early in the project a fruitful collaboration was established with the Library of Congress, where staff of the Library’s Preservation, Research and Testing Division, led by Dr Fenella France, provided their skill and expertise in the analysis of the manuscripts. Speakers will address the history of the Irish manuscripts, complementary research projects in which they are involved, and the results of the analytical techniques involved in the research.
Come join us for a series of lectures on this project September 13 from 10am to 4pm. This event will take place in person at the Library of Congress or you can join us virtually.
Onsite location at James Madison Building 101 Independence Ave SE, Washington DC
Mumford Room – 6th Floor
Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.
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This event will take place at the Library of Congress on August 8, sessions will take place from 10 am – 12 pm and 2 pm – 4 pm. You can register to attend in person or you can register to watch the sessions virtually.
"Assessing the Physical Condition of the National Book Collection"
For the last five years Assessing the Physical Condition of the National Collection (ANC) Mellon-funded project has collected data on the physical, chemical, and optical characteristics of books from five research libraries in distinct climate regions from across the United States. The selection of over 2500 books is comprised of 500 “identical” titles from the time period 1840-1940 when more acidic paper production processes began.
This research study was intended for developing a national plan to ensure that books retained and preserved in shared print programs have the best physical properties for long-term preservation. Speakers will address the methodology of the research approach for such a complex data set; the infrastructure and platform needed for extracting active usable data and meeting FAIR data principles; using non-invasive techniques for determining and predicting paper pulp types; chemometric and data modeling; and the potential for simple portable tools. The event will end with a discussion on how the research results compare to long accepted assumptions in the field.
All webinars are recorded and posted on our website; this process usually takes more than a month. You can find information on our past TOPS events here.
Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov
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The Library of Congress, Preservation Directorate is hosting four webinars this year for Preservation Week. Although Preservation Week officially starts April 30th, we are offering events the week before. Monday through Thursday we will be presenting webinars every day at 11 am (EDT). On Friday April 28, the Library is hosting NEH and FAIC’s Held In Trust National Convening onsite. For those interested in virtually attending this conference, please see the link below.
Webinars:
Mapping our Collections with Scientific Imaging, Monday, April 24, 11 am EDT Presented by Eric Monroe, PhD., Head Scientific Laboratory Section, Preservation Research and Testing Division
Many people are unfamiliar with “imaging” in collections care and the various methods by which it can be applied. In our imaging of collections, we add more than a visual image of the library or heritage object, we go beneath the layers, and capture a range of information with various scientific instrumentation. Hear about some of our imaging techniques such as multispectral imaging, IRENE, and more. Register here.
Assessing Collections for Space and Condition, Tuesday, April 25, 11 am EDT Presented by Beatriz Haspo, Collections Officer, Collection Management Division
The Library of Congress struggles with storage space like any other institution. This webinar will discuss the Preservation Directorate’s efforts to create an integrated approach to space management and collection needs assessment for its vast collection. Register here.
Web Archiving at the Library of Congress: Preserving Internet History for Memory and Research, Wednesday, April 26, 11 am EDT Presented by Senior Digital Collection Specialists Lauren Baker, Grace Bicho, and Chase Dooley
The Library of Congress Web Archive manages, preserves, and provides access to archived web content selected by subject experts from across the Library. Three experts from the Library’s Web Archiving Program team will present an overview of web archiving, highlighting what web archiving is, who does it and why it is important, and how we approach preservation of web content at the Library of Congress using the United States Election Web Archive as an example. Register here.
An Introduction to the Conservation Internship at the Library of Congress, Thursday, April 27, 11 am EDT Presented by Advanced Conservation Interns Meredith French, Veronica Mercado, Emily Mercer
The photograph, paper, and book sections in the Library of Congress Conservation Laboratory hosts advanced conservation interns from the Buffalo State University and the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. Book intern, Verónica Mercado, will present on the path students take to pursue art conservation, while photograph intern Emily Mercer and paper intern Meredith French will showcase treatments they are conducting at the lab. Register here.
All webinars will be recorded and posted on our website, this process usually takes 1-3 months. You can find all our past recordings here.
Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.
Held in Trust National Convening Friday, April 28
Held in Trust is a four-year cooperative agreement between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) to evaluate the state of preservation and conservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the United States. The Convening will be an exciting way to discuss the findings of the project, suggest future directions for the field, and outline the vision of a thriving, equitable, and just community of practice everyone has helped us create. For more information and registration click here.
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Printing Maps on OversizedPaper: The 18thcentury paper mills in the Toscolano district
January 9th at 1pm Eastern
Speakers: Dr. Silvia Pugliese, Head of Preservation and Conservation, Marciana National Library
Carissa Pastuch, Reference Librarian, Geography & Maps Division, Library of Congress
The HcA+- Ahmed heart-shaped map of the world was printed in Venice from six 16th century woodcut blocks and the Library of Congress has one of the few existing copies of this remarkable map in the Geography & Maps Division (G&M). Join us for a presentation given by Dr. Silvia Pugliese on the history and technique of papermaking in the Venetian Republic. Her research casts new light on the special large sized papers made there for map-making, export and domestic use during the 18th century, including the paper chosen to print this map, and for the Middle Easternexport market.
The Marciana National Library in Venice has the six original 16th century wood blocks carved for creating this map, and two copies of the printed map. Dr. Pugliese has traced the identity of the mill that supplied the paper for this map, using original sources from the State Archives of Venice, and examining registers and paper samples that are still present in the city records of the historic mills in the valleys around the Lake Garda in the Veneto.
Carissa Pastuch from G&M will discuss how the Library of Congress acquired their copy of the HcA+- Ahmed map.
To register click here.
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The Library of Congress, Preservation Directorate is excited to participate in Preservation Week 2022! We are hosting webinars every weekday of Preservation Week at 11 am (EDT). The five webinars will feature preservation-related projects conducted at the Library. Click on the titles to register.
Fragments, Discovery and Creating Knowledge Monday, April 25th, 11 am (EDT)
Fenella France, Chief of the Preservation Research and Testing Division (PRTD), will discuss how PRTD staff have been using noninvasive portable instruments to learn more from the material and physical aspects of collections. Working with Marianna Stell in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, PRTD has recently been exploring 12th- to 16th-century parchment fragments to expand understanding of historical parchment and inks.
Preserving the legacy of Robert Cornelius and other daguerreotypes in the Prints & Photographs Division Tuesday, April 26th, 11 am (EDT)
Daguerreotypes are among the earliest photographic records, and the Library holds over 800, including the iconic daguerreotype self-portrait of Robert Cornelius from 1839. Rachel Wetzel, Senior Photograph Conservator, will discuss the development of the daguerreotype, introduce Cornelius’ work and explain how her daguerreotype research led to a recent major acquisition.
Preservation Digitization Program Overview Wednesday, April 27th, 11 am (EDT)
The Preservation Services Division performs a wide variety of reformatting including brittle books, foreign newspaper digitization, as well as tangible media capture, and forensics. Aaron Chaletzky, Head of the Reformatting Projects Section will give a brief discussion of each type of reformatting, plus a sample of online collections.
Moving Collections to an Off-Site Facility: Key Things to Keep In Mind Thursday, April 28th, 11 am (EDT)
Cathy Martyniak, Chief of the Collection Management Division, will provide a top-level overview of issues to keep in mind if a library decides to move a portion of its collections to an off-site facility. Key topics include selection of materials for transfer, identification of the offsite facility, shelving schemas, transportation of materials, retrievals, and governance policies.
Fiscal and Organizational Sustainability for Preservation Programs Friday, April 29th, 11 am (EDT)
Jacob Nadal, Director for Preservation at the Library, will describe how the Library’s Preservation Directorate plans for and maintains its preservation programs. He will discuss a series of reorganizations, completed in 2017 and 2021, and an ongoing series of cost studies. These studies examine total costs of major service areas and support scenario planning around pay and non-pay activities. These combined efforts help to make sure the Preservation Directorate will be able to respond to changes: in immediate requirements and across strategic planning cycles, while making progress on long-term and large-scale preservation needs.
All webinars will be recorded and posted on our website, this process usually takes 2-6 months. You can find all our past recordings here. If you have any questions please contact Amelia Parks at ampar@loc.gov
Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.
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