From restoration to book conservation: an assessment fifty years after the Florentine flood

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Florentine flood, the paper focuses on the progression of book conservation. Over the last few decades, it changed from being a traditional restoration treatment to an interdisciplinary intervention – that needs solid historical foundation, scientific research and practical skills – aimed at slowing down the deterioration process with respect for the volumes’ historical features, their original structures and their materials.In this evolution, some events such as the St. Gallen Conference (1898) and the salvage of the burned manuscripts of the University Library in Turin (1904) were certainly important steps, but the experiences at the National central library of Florence after the overflowing of the Arno river (1966) played a strategic role.In occasione del cinquantesimo anniversario dell’alluvione fiorentina del 1966, il contributo richiama l’attenzione sulla straordinaria evoluzione che nel XX secolo ha caratterizzato il restauro librario. Da intervento artigianale mirato alla restituzione di funzionalità e pregio artistico a libri e documenti in cattive condizioni, esso ha assunto le caratteristiche di un’operazione interdisciplinare che necessita non solo di salde radici storiche, ma anche di competenze scientifiche e di abilità tecniche. Inoltre il restauro presenta ora finalità assai più articolate rispetto al passato: il suo primo obiettivo è quello di rallentare il processo di decadimento del patrimonio librario e documentario; il secondo riguarda la salvaguardia delle informazioni materiali di cui il libro è testimone e veicolo; l’ultimo è quello di cooperare, con il proprio specifico contributo, alla ricostruzione della cultura materiale che ha presieduto alla produzione dei manufatti antichi e moderni.In questo processo, un ruolo importante è stato svolto da alcuni eventi – quali la Conferenza di S. Gallo del 1898, l’incendio della Biblioteca Universitaria di Torino nel 1904 e la fondazione dell’Istituto di patologia del libro nel 1938 – ai quali è seguita la fondamentale esperienza di recupero dei volumi della Biblioteca nazionale centrale di Firenze travolti dall’alluvione del 1966

il restauro del manoscritto autografo diario spirituale di sant ignazio di loyola

The manuscript Diario spirituale (1544-45), held in the Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu (ARSI) in Rome, is the only surviving autograph by Ignatius of Loyola. Not intended for readers, the manuscript was soon given the veneration due to a sacred object. Affected by a severe degradation induced by iron gall inks, often resulting in burn-through, in the first half of 20th century it was repaired and the leaves lined recto/verso with silk in order to reduce the risk of paper fragmentation. As nothing was done to chemically counteract the acidity, damages have resulted. In 2017 the Diario spirituale underwent a new conservation treatment aimed at inhibiting the degradation and improving its general chemical, physical and aesthetic condition. As this paper will present, a range of activities and professional skills have to be drawn on in order to fully understand the historical value of the manuscript, to examine its material features, to assess its condition, to plan and to ensure the success of the conservation intervention

Biblioteche e archivi tra valorizzazione e tutela

Italian Regions were responsible for the safekeeping of historical library holdings from 1972 to 2015, when a State law returned such duties to the State. However, that law did not provide for specific training of the officials on the subjects they are supposed to deal with. The paper focuses on some of the critical issues deriving from that institutional reform, which has had a negative impact on the preservation and conservation activities that, in accordance with the Italian legislation (Codice dei beni culturali e del paesaggio), play an important role in the protection of our cultural heritage

Storia, esperienze, interdisciplinarietà

Il volume raccoglie gli atti di due convegni organizzati nel 2016 e nel 2017 dall'Università Ca' Foscari in collaborazione con l'Università degli Studi di Padova e con l'Associazione Italiana dei conservatori e restauratori degli archivi e delle biblioteche (AICRAB). Il ritorno allo Stato nel 2015 delle funzioni di tutela dei beni librari, in precedenza delegate dallo Stato medesimo alle Regioni, è stato il tema del primo convegno ed è il filo conduttore delle riflessioni raccolte nella prima parte del volume. Esse si concentrano sull'organizzazione delle nuove Soprintendenze archivistiche e bibliografiche e sulle criticità comportate dalla riforma istituzionale. Il restauro, la più complessa tra le attività di conservazione del patrimonio storico, eppure irrinunciabile laddove la degradazione ne precluda la fruizione e ne metta a rischio la trasmissione al futuro, è stato l'argomento del successivo convegno. Nella seconda parte del volume, i diversi contributi riflettono sulle radici storiche e sull'evoluzione delle prassi di restauro del patrimonio manoscritto; si presentano inoltre alcuni casi di intervento metodologicamente esemplificativi, ponendo infine l'accento sull'apporto, oggi irrinunciabile, offerto dalla ricerca scientifica per migliorare la qualità degli interventi

Tuberculosis in Sardinia: An investigation into the relationship between natives and immigrants

AbstractObjective/background: Tuberculosis (TB) has had a recrudescence in the last few decades in Italy as a result of many factors, among which migration from countries where TB is endemic is one of them. In Sardinia, a major island of Italy, there was no knowledge of the mechanisms of transmission of TB in the immigrant subpopulation and the impact it may have on the native subpopulation and on the community as a whole. Therefore, a molecular epidemiological study was carried out to get a clearer picture of the number and genetic features of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from immigrants and from natives in Sardinia. Methods: Two groups of clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis, one collected from immigrants and the other one from Sardinians, were analyzed in this study. The genotyping was executed through the variable number tandem repeat-mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units technique and a first-line antimycobacterial drug-susceptibility test was also carried out. Results: Thirty-six clinical isolates from immigrants and 25 from Sardinians were analyzed. Variable number tandem repeat-mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units technique showed that all of them belonged to different strains and there was a quite high allelic diversity among them. Moreover, data collected allowed the finding of, with a good approximation, the phylogenetic relations among the strains isolated and the best-known phylogenetic groups. Conclusion: The study pointed out that since every strain is different, there was no TB transmission in any of the subpopulations and between immigrants and natives. This showed that the presence of immigrants was not a risk factor for contracting TB in the community

Epidemic of tuberculosis in a high school in Northern Sardinia

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission among high school student and teacher populations in a high school in Northern Sardinia. Tuberculin skin-test screening, chest-X-rays, QuantiFERON-TB Gold, microbiological examination, spoligotyping and variable numbers of tandem repeats (VNTR) analysis of M. tuberculosis isolates were performed. This study indicates the effectiveness of the epidemiological investigation

La conservazione preventiva del patrimonio librario come possibile alternativa al restauro tradizionale

The present paper focuses on the close relation between library collections and their preservation environment, aiming, in particular, at highlighting the importance of promoting and sustaining the monitoring. The paper proposes some simple and ready-to-use technologies – smart monitoring – to prevent future damages

Nouvelles technologies de conservation-restauration du patrimoine écrit sur papier endommagé par le feu

Books and documents on paper harmed by fire in libraries and archives have often been left in very poor condition as conservation interventions with traditional materials and techniques have so far given unsatisfactory results. As a consequence, a large number of these documents are excluded from access and even from simple handling because they are prone to immediate fragmentation. The research is dedicated to developing an innovative conservation treatment for strengthening burnt paper, with a specific focus on traditional handmade rag paper which was the support for writing and printing from the 13th to the 19th century in the Western Latin world. The main goal of this mechanical reinforcement is to allow cautious and safe future access to the text, including for the purpose of their reproduction for the benefit of the larger scholar community.The study and physicochemical characterization of two burnt historical papers was carried out using pH measurements, morphological investigation by optical and scanning electronic microscope (SEM/EDS), spectroscopic techniques (ATR-FTIR, FORS) and X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD). This allowed a better understanding of the condition of paper materials harmed by fire, an essential step for producing burnt paper samples in the laboratory to be used experimentally, in which thermal degradation and burning effects (macro-and microstructure, physico-chemical characteristics) were comparable to those of the real historic ones.The methodology developed is based on the use of nanocelluloses and polysiloxanes known to increase the strength of polymeric materials such as paper. Cellulose nanocrystals and microfibrillated cellulose were used together with various polysiloxanes formulations based on tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and aminoalkylalkoxysilanes. These products were tested individually and combined, to form a biopolymer based reinforcing nanocomposite, which can be applied on the paper by spraying.The nanocomposite formulations developed were compatible with the paper matrix. When applied on the charred areas of a burnt paper, they limited the tendency to fragmentation and material loss. The efficiency of the products was evaluated using SEM/EDS, ATR-FTIR and mechanical testing of the burnt paper samples. Considering the extreme fragility of the carbonised paper, which did not allow to use standardized mechanical strength measurements, a simple fold to break resistance test was developed. The formulation based on nanocrystals and microfibrillated nanocellulose dispersed in a TEOS-based alkoxysilane penetrated into the paper and provided an increase in its mechanical resistance, while not changing the optical properties of paper and not leading to unwanted effects such as surface deposits, tidelines and deformation. Preliminary test applications on a manuscript and a printed historical paper from the Médiathèque L’Apostrophe in Chartres and from the Library of the Episcopal Seminary of Padua, damaged in a blaze during the Second World War, were carried out.Les ouvrages et documents sur papier des fonds de bibliothèques et d’Archives endommagés par le feu sont le plus souvent laissés dans leur état d’altération extrême du fait du manque de méthodologies adéquates d’intervention, les méthodes traditionnelles étant inadaptées. Par voie de conséquence, un très grand nombre de ces documents sont incommunicables, voire même non manipulables, de par leur tendance à se fragmenter au moindre mouvement. La recherche a permis de développer une méthodologie innovatrice de traitement de conservation-restauration, dans le but de renforcer le papier ayant subi un sinistre par le feu, avec une attention particulière portée aux papiers artisanaux de pâte chiffon, supports de l’écriture et de l’imprimerie du XIIIe au XIXe siècles dans le monde occidental de tradition latine.L’objectif principal de ce renforcement mécanique est de permettre un accès futur, prudent et sécuritaire aux textes, y compris dans le but de pouvoir les reproduire afin de permettre leur étude par les chercheurs, notamment en sciences humaines.La caractérisation physicochimique et morphologique fine de deux papiers brulés historiques originaux, a été faite grâce à des mesures de pH, de diffraction des rayons X par les poudres (XRPD), de microscopie électronique à balayage associée à la microanalyse par énergie dispersive de rayons X (SEM-EDX) et par des techniques spectroscopiques comme l’infra-rouge en réflectance totale atténuée (ATR-FTIR) et la réflectance de fibre optique (FORS). Cela a permis de mieux comprendre l’état d’un papier brulé, étape essentielle afin de reproduire des éprouvettes de laboratoire dans lesquelles la dégradation thermique et les caractéristiques physicochimiques, de macro et de microstructure sont comparables à celles des originaux historiques endommagés.La méthodologie développée se base sur l’utilisation de nanocellulose et de polysiloxanes, connus pour augmenter la résistance de matériaux polymères comme le papier. Des formulations combinant nanocristaux (CN) de cellulose et/ou cellulose micofibrillée (MFC) ont été utilisés avec diverses formulations à base de tetraethoxysilanes et d’aminoalkylalcoxysilanes. Ces produits ont été appliqués individuellement et en combinaison, par pulvérisation directement sur les parties brûlées. Les formulations nanocomposites développées sont parfaitement compatibles avec la matrice papier. Après traitement, les portions brûlées ont une meilleure résistance à la fragmentation et à la perte de matière par manipulation. L’efficacité des produits a été évaluée par SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR et par des essais mécaniques sur les éprouvettes. Pour ce faire, un moyen simple de mesurer la résistance au pliage a été conçu, aucun essai mécanique normalisé ne convenant étant donnée l’extrême fragilité du papier carbonisé.Une formulation basée sur un mélange de CN et de MFC dispersé dans des alcoxysilanes à base de TEOS en solution alcoolique a permis une bonne pénétration dans le papier, une augmentation de la résistance au pliage, tout en conservant l’apparence visuelle du papier, et ce, sans effets indésirables tels que des dépôts de surface, des auréoles ou de la déformation.Lors d’essais préliminaires cette formulation a été appliquée à un manuscrit conservé à la Médiathèque L’Apostrophe de Chartres et à un document historique imprimé de la bibliothèque du Séminaire épiscopal de Padoue, tous deux ayant été endommagés par des incendies lors de la seconde guerre mondiale

Libro dei cauteri. Materiali e stato di conservazione

Restaurato in occasione del XLIII Congresso della International Society for the History of Medicine, organizzato a Padova dal 12 al 16 settembre 2012, il Libro de le experience che fa el cauterio del fuocho ne corpi umani della Biblioteca medica "Vincenzo Pinali" di Padova \ue8 un trattato medico-chirurgico di singolare interesse in volgare venetizzante ricco di un rilevante apparato illustrativ