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Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of ambient or altered environmental conditions on the inactivation of SARS‐CoV‐2 applied to materials common in libraries, archives and museums. Methods and Results: Porous and non‐porous materials (e.g. paper, plastic protective book cover) were inoculated with approximately 1 × 105 TCID50 SARS CoV‐2 (USA‐WA1/2020), dried, placed within test chamber in either a stacked or unstacked configuration, and exposed to environmental conditions ranging from 4 to 29°C at 40 ± 10% relative humidity. The amount of infectious SARS‐CoV‐2 was then assessed at various timepoints from 0 to 10 days. Ambient conditions resulted in varying inactivation rates per material type. Virus inactivation rate decreased when materials were stacked or at colder temperatures. Virus inactivation rate increased when materials were unstacked or at warmer temperatures. Conclusions: SARS‐CoV‐2 at ambient conditions resulted in the inactivation of virus below limit of quantitation (LOQ) for all materials by Day 8. Warmer temperatures, for a subset of materials, increased SARS‐CoV‐2 inactivation, and all were

Abstract: Library materials are susceptible to fungal deterioration. The paper constituents of archival materials are subjected to harmful physical and chemical processes as they are slowly consumed by fungi. Remediation of fungal contamination can be costly and risk further damage to fragile or previously degraded materials. Early detection of fungal growth would permit the use of relatively noninvasive treatments to remediate fungal contamination of artifacts before visible or lasting damage has occurred. Current methods used for the detection of microbial biomass, such as colony counts, microscopic biovolume estimation, and ergosterol analysis are expensive, time consuming, or are inappropriate for use with fungi. Beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.52) activity provides a rapid and reliable means of fungal detection on a variety of cultural heritage materials. Adapted for use on archival materials, fluorogenic 4-Methylumbelliferyl (MUF) labeled substrate N-acetyl-Beta-D-glucosamine (NAG) was used to detect fungal beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase activity. The fluorescence generated by minute quantities of fungi was quickly detected at an early stage of growth. The sensitivity of the assay was comparable to other biochemical techniques. The fluorometric assay was well-suited for early detection of fungal biomass on paper and assessment of the effectiveness of common remediation practices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In libraries and archives some of the time-acidified items are so brittle that they cannot be handled without risking loss of material. Currently used deacidification processes do not impart improved mechanical properties to the paper. The use of alcoholic solutions of three different types of aminoalkylalkoxysilanes was studied for the deacidification of paper-based items. It was shown that in addition to deacidifying and improving the stability of papers by providing an alkaline buffer the treatment also significantly improved their mechanical resistance, as measured by the folding endurance and tensile breaking resistance. Essential for the appraisal of the deacidification process, the behaviour upon ageing of the materials treated was investigated. Accelerated ageing methods involving heat/humidity and nitrogen dioxide atmosphere were used separately. It was shown that the reinforcement effect of the three aminosilane compounds tested persisted throughout the ageing, and in one case the mechanical properties even improved after ageing. Two of the aminosilanes tested were studied for their impact at the macromolecular level, on the molar masses of cellulose, using size-exclusion chromatography with multiangle light scattering detection. Their effectiveness in protecting paper from acid hydrolysis occurring during ageing was found significant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article studies the application of the freeze-drying process to water-damaged archival and library materials. By soaking samples for 18 hours and draining for 5 hours, reproducible soaked samples were obtained; the amount of absorbed water was 121 ± 1 % in relation to the initial dry weight. The method was reproducible, simple and economic. The freeze-drying and evaporative-drying of soaked samples resulted in the complete drying of the paper in 18 hours, without excessive damage. With regard to antique documents, especially those containing miniatures or paintings, re-conditioning of dried, brittle paper is recommended, before handling.

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to encourage public librarians to reconsider the future value of their paper book collections. Design/methodology/approach – The author interacts with developing trends to make an argument for supporting paper book collections in the digital age. Findings – The liquidation of Borders Group Inc. provides the public library with an opportunity to market its paper collections to publishers and paper book buyers. Originality/value – The article offers a contrarian perspective on the enduring value physical book collections will play in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the limitation in the development of research in social science, that is set by the quality of the paper that has been used for printing over the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Between the 60's and the 80's of the 19th century wood pulp paper replaced rag paper in the publishing trade. The use of wood pulp and of cheaper manufacturing processes effect a revolution in publishing comparable to the revolution brought about when paper replaced parchment in the 14th and 15th centuries. Wood pulp paper made possible an increased publishing of newspapers and magazines in the same decades in which the spread of popular education was creating new multitudes of readers for the increased mass of printed matter. The paper situation threatens to limit in an arbitrary way the development of research in the social sciences. Librarians already hesitate to permit teachers to set loose their research students to devour newspaper files. The purchase policies of the libraries are trimmed to avoid the acquisition of many types of documents which should be saved, but which the librarians will not gather because the paper is too poor.

A recent paper by Gupta and Ravindran (7) describes a network model developed to determine the optimal number of shelf-heights to use to minimize the shelving cost for a given collection of books if shelved by size. The following notes amplify some aspects of this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]