Medieval Manuscripts: Handling Considerations

Storage and Boxing

Manuscripts or unbound documents should be housed in acid-free, lignin-free buffered file folders and boxes. Stable paper can be stored with other stable papers in one folder. The fragile paper should be stored with fewer sheets or in an individual polyester sleeve to decrease further damage. Store flat sheets in the same box; they should not be stored with books or pamphlets of different weights and sizes. Paper collections should be stored together with the same size and category. 

Manuscripts, over time, become commonly brittle or fragile and vulnerable to damage from inappropriate handling and storage practices. To protect loose manuscript sheets during handling and storage there are some basic practices to follow:

1. Folder or box with chemically stable or acid-free materials.

2. Store material by size and type.

3. Encourage and train safe handling practices for staff and users.

"It's also reassuring to know that it was recognized in the Middle Ages that wearing gloves to handle books was to be frowned upon." (The British Library Board, 2011). 

Misperceptions About White Gloves: White gloves provide no guarantee of protecting material. Wearing cotton gloves have a tendency to transfer dirt, dislodge inks from surface pages, and reduce manual dexterity.

Misunderstandings associated with the use of white gloves are:

1. The Myth of Protection

2. The Sanitary Illusion

3. The Unfeeling Hand

Instead, Don't handle material with dirty hands. Wash your hands.

1. Before handling any collection item, hands should be thoroughly washed and dried. 

2. Gloves (nitrile or vinyl) are always recommended if there is a reason to suspect a health hazard like mold or arsenic. 

3. Clean gloves are recommended for handling books with metal or ivory parts.

Baker, C. A. (n.d.). Misperceptions about white gloves. Retrieved from http://content.lib.utah.edu/utils/getfile/
collection/uspace/id/5214/filename/3997.pdf

Cloonan, M. V. (2011). The Boundaries of preservation and conservation research. Libraries & the Cultural Record, 46(2), 220-229. doi:10.1353/lac.2011.0010

Pimlot, J. (n.d.). The use of white gloves for handling collection items. Retrieved from https://www.bl.uk/aboutus/stratpolprog/
collectioncare/publications/videos/whitegloves.pdf

Smith, J. C. (1990). The side chambers of San Giovanni Evangelista in Ravenna: Church libraries of the Fifth Century. Gesta, 29(1), 86-97. doi:10.2307/767103

Trevithick, M., & Seckman, D. (2013). A precious history preserved. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/A-Precious- History-Preserved/139035/

Seckman, D. (2013). A precious history preserved. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/ A-Precious-History-Preserved/139035/

Conservation for iron gall ink. A new treatment for iron gall ink that uses a solution of Calcium Phytate along with a de-acidification was in a solution of calcium bicarbonate and designed to remove excess sulfuric acid to prevent further degradation.

British Library Calcium Phytate Treatment

Treatment steps:

1. Wash the folios (parchment) in a bath of reverse osmosis water. 

2. The folio is sandwiched between two sheets of archival polyester film to ensure damaged areas are not distorted.

3. The folios are placed in the phytate solution to complex the free iron ion to prevent further degradation.

4. Finally, the folios are washed again in a de-acidification bath that contains calcium bicarbonate; this will remain in the paper after treatment to help neutralize acidity from natural aging and the ink. 

The British Library Japanese tissue onto Bondina

Lining and Repair:

1. A wheat starch paste is first brushed out onto a sheet of Bondina.

2. A thin sheet of Japanese tissue is placed on the pasted Bondina

3. The tissue is then pasted out the same way.

4. The folio (parchment) is lined then humidified on a sheet of Bondina with all the tears unfolded and aligned properly. 

5. The humidified folio is turned over and lowered directly onto the pasted Japanese lining tissue.

6. The folio is then brushed out to remove tiny air bubbles and ensure a strong bond, and the other side is lined the same way.

7. After all repairs, the folios were collated and given a new binding to protect them.