Libraries in Germany – Conservation

In Germany, awareness of the importance of books as cultural heritage assets is lacking. At least that is how Reinhard Feldmann sees the issue. He is the director of the Department of Manuscripts, Historical Collections and Conservation of the University and State Library of Münster and of the project, “Conservation Forum.”

Herr Feldmann, what is the proportion of endangered books in German libraries?

That of course depends on what you mean by „endangered.“ Here, we must distinguish between two periods. Print works that were published from the incunabula period more or less through to the end of German Classicism, i.e. that were printed around 1830, were generally printed on good-quality paper. For the most part, there is use-related damage on the bodies of the books and on their bindings. Here, the number of endangered books is small but nonetheless alarming, if we do not act. By contrast, 30% of the books that were printed after 1830 reveal serious endogenous deterioration because they were printed on acid-containing paper and sometimes even on paper containing wood pulp.

What are the odds that conservation will be successful in the long run?

We can be successful in the long run because we have improved a number of things in recent years. A great many innovative methods of restoration and preservation have been developed that are efficient and with which we can process a great numbers of books. Above all, research on ink corrosion, paper-splitting and bonding. We also have highly qualified restorators, thanks to the introduction of academic standards in the profession and continuing state-of-the–art training.

But now the negative aspects: as yet we have no concept for nationwide book collections conservation. And in Germany, awareness of the significance of this part of our cultural heritage is lacking.

What percentage of their budgets do German libraries allocate for the conservation of their collections?

There is a lot of variation here. Libraries with very valuable and extensive collections of old, costly and irreplaceable literature often invest three or four percent of their budgets, a typical university or state library about one-half of a percent or one percent.

A past recommendation of the conference of German ministers of culture is to allocate an additional one percent of the total budget of all academic research libraries in Germany to conservation. That would mean an additional five million euros, more or less, that could be earmarked for libraries with unique collections. But compared with the committment of Netherlands, that have invested eight million euros per year in the last decade alone, we would still be limping significantly behind even with these additional millions.

What is the role of sponsors in this area?

It is basically the state’s responsibility to provide for the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage. Funding from sponsors and foundations are naturally accepted with gratitude, but can only serve as supplemental means or stimuli.

Are there recommendations for optimal long-term storage conditions for library collections?

Yes, the international DIN ISO 11799 norm for storage of archive and library collections. Here, values of 18° Celsius and about 50% relative humidity are laid down. But this represents a compromise, so that as a rule we are content if we can approximate these ideal values.

What role does conservation play in library science training?

Practically none. And that is worrisome. At the moment we have two trends heading in opposite directions: Restoration training has improved greatly. It derives originally from the traditional handicraft of bookbinding. The first university chair for restoration was set up in Cologne twenty years ago. Shortly thereafter, additional chairs arose, with the result that restoration training has improved significantly.

However, in library science training, historical disciplines and conservation are being cut back more and more. And library science training programmes are often only covered by lectureships and not by established university chairs. That means that in the future, there will be a lack of correspondingly qualified personnel in our libraries to communicate with highly qualified external service providers and to perform quality control. I see a real danger here.

The expert working groups „Manuscripts and Old Printed Works,“ and „Conservation,“ which are part of the German Library Association and to which I also belong, are trying to counteract this trend. I hope that I can offer better news as early as next year, because a master’s study programme in „Manuscripts – Special Collections – Conservation” is in planning.

And what other wishes do you have for the future of conservation?

How many wishes can I make?

Let’s say, three.

Money, money and more money (laughs). No, that’s not true. We do need money, but only very well-allocated and not all that much. First of all, we should continue on the path of professionalisation restorators and conservators.

Secondly, we should cultivate a higher level of awareness of the requirements of books as cultural heritage objects in our own institutions – libraries and archives – and among funding agencies and the general public.

And thirdly, we should try to establish a form of literary historic conservancy, analogous to general historic conservancy – which is very successful. And I naturally wish for efficient administrative structures and a solid base of financial support for these responsibilities.