In Turkey book and conservation works and a paper restoration laboratuary estamblish project

ABSTRACTWith the invention of writing, the history of mankind began to change veryrapidly about go shares of information and communication. However, the biggestchange occurred with the discovery of paper as a writing medium, and its entranceinto usage in everyday life. In the second century A.D. the Chinese invented a cheap,flexible and light paper which they used for wrapping. Paper?s usage as a medium forwriting, though, occurred with the moving of Muslim Arabs into West Asia in the 8-9th centuries. In their homeland the Arabs further developed the production of paperwhich they had learned from the peoples in Asia. From there it spread to EasternEurope, that is Spain, and then to all of Europe.After the 10th century in the Arab world, and the 12th century in Europe,production of handwritten books, each of which carried its own precious art form,began. These books entered everyday life in greater amounts and more people wereable to acquire them. With the coming of the 15th century, in Europe (Germany),Gutenberg invented the printing press and by the close of the15th century, because ofthe rapid development and spread of the printing press, writing books by hand, andthe accompanying various art forms, had come to an end. Therefore, from the 16thcentury on, the era of the printed book had come to Europe. Because of theproduction of handwritten books, the printing press which had already enteredEurope?s everyday life, didn?t enter the Ottoman Empire until about 271 years later.Printing finally began in Ottoman Empire in 1726, during the time of Ahmet theThird (1704-1730, the Tulip Era) because of the support of Sadrazam Damat IbrahimPasha and the hard work of Ibrahim Muteferrika. For economic reasons however theOttoman paper factories were short lived, imported paper was available from Europe.After the discovery of writing, the hard work of preserving documents andtheir various art forms, and the work of book conservation began to leave theirproduce, that were seek in some kind box and bag, for new genaration. But in truth,on the subject of document conservation and restoration, the first organized workoccurred because of the Vatican Church Library?s Cardinal Franz Ehrle, in the 19thcentury. Beginning with the 20th century however, in order to establish precautionarymeasures of book conservation, scientists began doing research on subjectsincluding: air pollution, the effects of acid and other impure elements in paper, thefoxing of paper, insect and fungus destruction, fumigation?s effects on paper,climate, humidity and other environmental conditions.In Turkey, book and document care and restoration began at the conservationservices of the Suleymaniye Library. In the years between 1955-1960, with the helpof the government, in the Suleymeniye Complex a ?restoration workshop? wasestablished. Later,in the Konya Bolge Yazma Eserler Kutuphanesi (The KonyaRegional Library of Manuscripts), preparations were made to open a documentrestoration center, but because of difficulties and complaints concerning themachines and equiping necessary to make the facility ready for service that theCulture Ministry was to provide, the opening never occurred. At the Prime MinisteryGovernmental Archives (Başbakanlık Devlet Arşivleri) however, in 1976, beganrestoration work under limited conditions, without the needed supplies andequipment and with just one employee. In recent times however, new laws andinvestments have provided for a new restoration unit. For manuscript and bookswhich come to a conservation center for repair, the work of restoration begins with apreliminary investigation to document the sources of distruction. These sources maybe biological, physical, chemical, human source, flood, fire, etc. Once thedocumentation is completed, the manuscript and books are first cleaned by use of aliquid or dry method, any spots are removed and whitened, the document issmoothed and disinfected by liquid, dry, spray or steam methods. The next step is torepair any parts which have been torn, and missing parts are filled in. Lastly, toincrease the mechanical endurance and tenacity of the document, sizing and finishingwork is done. Some manuscript and books are in such bad damage that more seriousrestoration is necessary. In cases of advanced destruction of manuscript and books,the various methods of repair include: restoration with silk paper, restoration withworn out pieces of papers, assembling, adhering from above, lamination with amachine, solvent lamination, etc. In the case of a book, after the pages are restoredthe binding is restored. Last of all, after the restoration is done, photograph supporteddocumentation completes the conservation process.As important as the work done in restoration, is the place of restoration andthe techniques and supplies which are used there. A proper and adequately equippedlaboratory will affect both the quality of the work and the trustworthiness of thematerials will be assured. Before restoration work is started, proper research andplanning is necessary to be sure that the necessary conditions are provided for sinceonce work is established it must continue.