PRESERVATION

In 2017, as part of a project funded by the Coordination Office for the Preservation of the Written Cultural Heritage (KEK) and also supported by the Leopoldina Academy Circle of Friends e.V., it was possible to preserve all publications issued by the Leopoldina between 1670 and 1990 in a single edition, with restoration taking place as required, thus guaranteeing the long-term survival of the material.

Experts assessed the volumes of the various Academy publications and divided them into four categories, according to the type of damage. Significantly different types of damage were clearly evident, each requiring specific treatment. The basic treatment involved cleaning the volumes, restoring the bindings or producing new bindings, as well as producing a protective packaging for each individual volume. In addition, all volumes with a publication date subsequent to 1850 were subject to mass deacidification treatment, in order to prevent “slow fire”—the process by which paper becomes brittle due to acid decay.

The digitisation and cataloguing process also benefited from the restoration work, and we therefore wish to express our gratitude to the KEK and the Academy Circle of Friends for their funding and support.