School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Research Publications
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ItemSurveys of Plastics in Post-1950 Non-published Book Collections(De Gruyter, 2023-03-03)Research over the past three decades has demonstrated that certain plastics in cultural materials are inherently unstable, displaying short lifespans and accelerating the degradation of neighbouring collection materials. Knowledge of the conservation of plastics is increasingly common in museum settings. However, less information is available on conserving plastics found in paper-based collections, and even less guidance on the materials and deterioration of plastic components found in book and document bindings. As plastics have been present in popular bookbinding materials since the mid-twentieth century, collection care professions require knowledge and methods for preserving these materials entering book collections. The aim of this paper is to determine strategies for the care of post-1950s books containing plastic. Collection surveys were conducted to determine the materials, structures, and degradation patterns of non-published books found in archive and archive-like settings at the South Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne. A methodology combining condition reporting and infrared spectroscopy identified six plastic polymers in 35 binding styles that are summarised as 10 binding types. Recommendations are made for the use of preventive storage strategies responding to four categories of damage.
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ItemPlastics in Australian Archives: An Industry Survey Regarding Prevalence, Condition, and Preservation Strategies(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2023-02-17)
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ItemInvestigating the efficacy of interleaving materials in the preservation of plasticised PVC slip-cover notebooks in Yang Zhichao’s artwork Chinese Bible(Routledge, 2022-10)Plasticised poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC-P) is known to degrade rapidly and emit acidic gases and, as such, it is ideally stored separately from other materials. However, due to historic or aesthetic value, PVC-P book covers in paper-based collections cannot always be removed or replaced. There is currently a gap in the literature addressing strategies for storing PVC-P associated with paper materials. Prompted by a case study of the Chinese artist Yang Zhichao’s Chinese Bible (2009)—a performance installation artwork of 3000 notebooks including approximately 1000 notebooks with PVC-P covers—three potential interleaving materials (Mylar®, Hollytex® and buffered tissue) were tested to simulate use during long-term storage. Notebooks and PVC-P book covers were purchased and assembled to model stacked storage conditions, and thermally aged at 70°C and 50% relative humidity for 130 days. Before and after ageing, samples were analysed using visual examination techniques, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, colourimetry and weighing. It was found that all three interleaving materials lowered the probability of ink offsetting. However, cover deformation and a blotchy surface haze were more commonly observed in interleaved samples compared to non-interleaved samples. More research is necessary to identify a suitable strategy to manage PVC-P degradation in close contact storage with paper materials. This study contributes to a better understanding of the storage of plastic-covered books that may be found in libraries and archives, highlighting the complexity of conserving plastic and paper composite materials.
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ItemSafe Storage? An Assessment of Polyethylene for the Storage of Heritage Objects(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2023-08-18)
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ItemCharacterisation and deterioration of stone papers(Routledge, 2019-01-02)Stone paper, also known as rich mineral paper, is a paper-like material manufactured from calcium carbonate with a small amount of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), instead of traditional cellulose-based fibres. For environmental reasons, stone paper was designed to degrade when exposed to sunlight. It was the aim of this study to address the research gap in conservation literature describing the properties and degradation patterns of stone paper. Three stone paper samples were characterised using visual examination techniques and analysed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (ATR-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Calcium carbonate, talc, kaolin, high-density polyethylene and an unknown trace material(s) were identified in these stone papers. Under accelerated ageing conditions, the stone paper samples consistently demonstrated a higher rate of chemical and physical degradation compared to a cellulose paper standard when exposed to visible light and ultraviolet radiation. Through this study, a greater understanding was obtained of stone paper composition, its ageing trajectory, and its response to environmental factors. Further research is required to identify the unknown trace element(s) and whether photo-sensitive additives are present. These results should help to inform the identification, storage, display and treatment of stone paper-based collections.