| Abstract: | Summaries. Preserving the great and growing collection of the Library of Congress is a Herculean task. There are numerous techniques available, including silking, lamination, encapsulation, boxing, deacidification, and cold storage. Decisions must be made, often in the face of incomplete evidence, on which treatment(s) to use. What will most extend the life of an artifact? What will the next conservator have to undo that we have done? Every generation of restorers has left problems and created damage that have plagued succeeding generations. Our generations legacy to the future may be better because of better training for conservators, and the effective and growing collaboration between practicing conservators and conservation scientists. We advocate a conservative approach to conservation. Where we cannot restore completely, we often can stop degradation effectively, hoping thereby to transmit the work to our successors unimpaired and receptive to more advanced techniques that may develop in the future. |
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