Care & Conservation of Manuscripts 2 - Proceedings of the Second International Seminar Held at the University of Copenhagen 16-17 October 1995

This volume of Care and Conservation of Manuscripts offers: discussions of the history of collection care at the National Library of Iceland * the preservation of medieval parchments at the National Archives of Sweden * the creation of a database for the administration of the manuscript library in the Prague Castle archives * and an optimized work-flow system for a large-scale condition survey of the books in the Library of the St. Catherine's Monastery in Sinai, Egypt.

Much work is required to ensure the well-being of the manuscripts in the care of libraries, archives and other collections. The international seminars held in Copenhagen provide a good opportunity for conservators, archivists, librarians and those who work with manuscripts to meet and discuss their problems. Care and Conservation of Manuscripts 8 examines wooden bindings, the manufacture of parchment, the conservation of embroidered bindings, the study of paint layers, the restoration of heat-damage parchment, binding decoration and hand tools for Ottoman period manuscripts, biomonitoring of rare books and documents, German stamped bindings, new recipes for the conservation of leather and parchment, as well as codicology and palography. The book is well illustrated and contains references and a list of manuscripts.

"Care and Conservation of Manuscripts" is committed to the study of various aspects of manuscript conservation, preservation, and use, as well as to other related issues concerning the history of books and manuscripts. The series is based on seminars held at the University of Copenhagen. This volume contains twenty contributions by formidable scholars in the field, covering a rich array of issues with examples including the scientific analysis and conservation treatment of the Archimedes Palimpsest; The collapse of the Cologne Historical Archive; The 17th-century florilegium Gottorfer Codex; early Greek printed books from unknown local archives; Digitising Greek manuscripts; and devising assessment strategies for the British Library s treasures. "