Physical protection, conservation and restoration of old and rare library materials of the Belgrade City Library
Old and rare library materials are a cultural heritage of particular interest for the Republic of Serbia and, as such, enjoy special protection. As the owner of old and rare library materials in the public domain, the Belgrade City Library is obliged to preserve and maintain the material conscientiously, implement technical protection measures in a timely manner, and provide appropriate space and equipment for housing and protection of the material. Through the physical protection, conservation and restoration of the selected library materials from Special Collections- cultural assets of exceptional and great importance, the conditions for the fulfilment of the obligations mentioned above from the provisions of the Law on Old and Rare Library Materials (Official Gazette 52/11) were obtained.
Microfilming and digitization as a form of protection of old and rare library materials have helped these precious publications become more widely available. Through public competitions of the Ministry of Culture and Information, 31 cartographic sheets and 44 titles of monographic publications in 46 copies were restored and conserved. These are the ten rarest publications printed in the 16th century, 11 titles from the 17th century, 32 titles from the 18th century and 24 items published in the 19th century. In addition, five publications from the Periodicals Department are also protected. The following projects have been implemented so far:
Physical protection, conservation and restoration of old and rare library materials from the Cartographic Collection of the Belgrade City Library (XVI-XIX century) /2012/
Year of implementation: 2012.
Project value: 360,000.00 dinars
The Cartographic Collection of the Belgrade City Library contains 187 cartographic documents created from the end of the 16th to the end of the 19th century. The oldest reproductions, from the end of the 16th century, were made using the woodcut technique. Most of the maps created from the 17th to the beginning of the 19th century were printed from copper plates. A few copies were created in the middle of the 19th century from lithographic natural stone. Hence, the collection represents all three basic printing techniques. Most of the maps are subsequently hand-coloured. Numerous authors are represented, the most notable of which are: A. Ortelius, G.K. Mercator, G. Bodenehr, P. Bertius, J. Zsámboky and M. Seutter.
The project included a professional review of the entire cartographic material and the restoration and conservation of 31 endangered items. Restoration and conservation made the collection more accessible to a wider professional and cultural public. Representative pieces are digitized and available in the Digital Belgrade City Library.
Physical protection, conservation and restoration of old and rare library materials (XVI-XVIII centuries) – cultural assets of the exceptional importance of the Belgrade City Library /2014/
Year of implementation: 2014.
Project value: 697,581.00 dinars
According to the Specifications of conservation and restoration works submitted by the expert team of the National Library of Serbia, it was determined that 15 publications printed between 1536 and 1866, that were separated by the experts of the BCL as most endangered, have minor or major mechanical damage to the sheets and bindings. Considering that all mentioned publications belong to the category of cultural assets of exceptional and great importance, they were digitized and microfilmed.
Conservation methods included sterilization, mechanical cleaning, stain removal, washing, neutralization, paper strengthening and restoration of missing parts. Binding restoration included repairing existing hard, paperback, semi-leather and leather bindings or making new covers where there were none or they were too damaged.
Physical protection, conservation and restoration of old and rare library material (XVIII-XIX century) – cultural assets of the exceptional and great importance of the Belgrade City Library /2015/
Year of implementation: 2015.
Project value: 544,140.00 dinars
Restoration and conservation of 16 publications, cultural assets of exceptional and great importance, printed in 1793-1865. The implementation of the project enabled the restoration and conservation of 3,721 pages of different formats. The expert team of the Department for Protection, Conservation and Restoration of the National Library of Serbia carried out the restoration and conservation process.
In December 2015, an exhibition of old and rare library materials (XVIII-XIX centuries) was held – cultural assets of the exceptional importance of the Belgrade City Library.
Physical protection of old and rare library materials of the Belgrade City Library, which includes controlled conditions of temperature and relative humidity /2015/
Year of implementation: 2015.
Project value: 955,000.00 dinars
Conservation work on selected copies of the Aćimović Cartographic Collection and copies of old and rare books of the 16th-19th centuries prevented their further deterioration. As the documents in question are of exceptional importance for the history of Belgrade and Serbia, after conservation and digitization, it was necessary to place the mentioned objects in a clean, new surrounding, i.e. in a special airtight chamber of the modular type, which implies controlled temperature conditions (from 160 to 200 C) and relative humidity (between 45 and 55% Rh), to preserve them in excellent condition in the following years and decades.
Pre-conserved copies are stored in a special chamber in excellent condition and according to current regulations on the preservation of old and rare library materials.
Physical protection, conservation and restoration of old and rare library materials (XVIII-XIX centuries) – cultural assets of the exceptional importance of the Belgrade City Library /2017/
Year of implementation: 2017.
Project value: 730,000.00 dinars
Restoration and conservation of fifteen publications, cultural assets of exceptional and great importance, printed in 1765−1835. The expert team of the National Library of Serbia, under the leadership of the head of the Department for Protection, Conservation and Restoration, Željko Mladićević, BSE, carried out the restoration and conservation process.
Physical protection, conservation and restoration of old and rare library materials from the Periodicals Department of the Belgrade City Library (19th century) /2018/
Year of implementation: 2018.
Project value: 660,000.00 dinars
The project’s goal included the physical protection, conservation and restoration of five periodical publications of the Periodicals Collection according to the obligation arising from the provisions of the Law on Old and Rare Library Materials (Official Gazette 52/11). The following publications are in question:
- Летопис Матице српске (Сербске летописи за год 1825), // издања: 1824 // број: частица 1-3
- Школски листъ // Година: 1861 // Годиште: 4. година // број: брои 1-48
- Даница: лист за забаву и књижевност // Година: За годину 1860. // Годиште: Прва година // број: 1-32
- Даница: лист за забаву и књижевност // Година: 1863. // Годиште: 4 // број: 1-52
- Даница: лист за забаву и књижевност // Година: За годину 1865. // Годиште: 6 // број: 1-36
In addition to conservation and restoration, measuring instruments were also acquired – temperature and humidity detectors with appropriate software: TFA Digitales Thermo-Hygrometer (2 pcs) and Center 337 Mini Lightmeter. Two display cases and proper LED lighting for the display of the restored materials were also purchased, as well as acid-free folders and archive boxes for storage and cardboard boxes for display.
More details about the mentioned projects and protected material can be found in the publication Драгоцености Библиотеке града Београда.
Project value: about 4,000,000.00 dinars
Realization period: 2012-2018
Donor: Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia
