Explain the precautionary measures against loss of library documents.

 Preservation means keeping an object away from harmful effects like loss, damage, destruction, mutilation and prolonging its life to whatever extent possible by maintaining it in a reasonably sound condition for present and future use. Without preservation, the knowledge cannot be transmitted to future generations. Preservation system includes determination of the causes of deterioration of documents, to adopt some administrative policy regarding preservation work and implementation of appropriate preservation techniques to maintain the usable condition of the documents.

Generally, college and university libraries’ collection includes different kinds of materials; mainly paper documents, for example text books, reference books, newspapers, maps, charts, atlases, etc and other kinds of non-book materials - manuscripts, photographic materials, globes, sound recordings, electronic materials, micro-documents etc. The rate of deterioration of these documents depends directly with the climatic condition of that particular area.

Paper is a thin tissue of any fibrous material. Cellulose fibres are the chief source of fibrous materials for paper-making. Only a few special quality papers include fibres of other compositions. Cellulose is a high polymer, that is, it is made up of many single, relatively simple units combined chemically into very large molecules. The individual units are composed of molecules of glucose, combined with loss of one molecule of water from each glucose unit, and added into long linear chains.

The quality of paper depends on the quality of fibres, from which it is made of. Paper can be divided according to the sources of the fibres, from which it is manufactured. For example, cotton group papers are of high quality, strong and stable and wood group papers are subject to early deterioration.

The factors which cause the deterioration of paper or which influence the permanence of papers may be divided into two groups - (i) internal factors and (ii) external factors. Internal factors affect the decaying of papers at the time of processing - that depends on the profound effects of sources and nature of fibres, of the response of fibres during processing and stock preparation, of variables during the complicated processes of sheet formation, pressing and drying on the paper machine. Paper deterioration also depends on the materials involved in sizing, filling, coating and impurities present in these materials. External factors are determined by conditions during storage and use, e.g. climatic factors and the existence of biological agents.

According to Library of Congress preservation recommendations, an ideal environment for books is 12.8°c in storage areas and not more than 23.9°c in reading room. In summer, when temperature rises at a higher degree (max. 40°-42°c approx.), books deteriorate rapidly due to heat, which accelerates photolysis, hydrolysis and oxidation process. It also causes buckling of edge on the film and tape as well as embrittlement and curling of films and tapes as well as non-book materials.

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