| Abstract: | CONCLUSIONS. The PTI Bookkeeper deacidification technology meets the criteria set by the Library of Congress for a process which shows potential for meeting their specifications. Problems identified as a result of IPST testing or the Team's observations can be addressed as part of the ongoing research and collaboration. The process is a clean one causing harm neither to the environment nor to materials tested. Questions which arose during the testing procedures remain to be answered. The library and archival communities may find that a choice has to be made between a less aggressive mass deacidification process that results in little or no physical damage or other undesirable side effects and one that is chemically more aggressive, causing some observable physical damage. Preservation and collection experts may take advantage of both, based upon condition assessment, the importance of physical appearance, and tolerance for specific technological strengths and weaknesses. The chemistry of mass deacidification, its scientific value, and the solution of problems resulting from treatment are critical topics in the quest to find an answer for the dilemma posed by the millions of acidic books and records in this nation's libraries and archives. The significant part that acidity plays in the rapid deterioration of paper has long been recognized. Deacidification as a potential solution has been scientifically investigated over the last fifty to sixty years in several countries. Indicative of the effort made to understand and resolve the challenges raised by acidic paper and to exploit the potential of deacidification as an answer is the existence of the large body of literature on the subject. |
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