THE NEED TO KEEP BOOKS, ARCHIVES AND RARE DOCUMENTS "ALIVE"

Abstract

Archives and libraries around the world are threatened by the huge problem of downgrading and destroying their collections. The causes of the problem are many and interconnected: endogenous chemical instability of the materials in the collections, inappropriate environmental conditions, incorrect storage and handling practices, natural disasters, theft, vandalism, but also ignorance and / or indifference of people in charge, low level of people involved. The great importance of preserving the information contained in these collections is obvious, as this is the raw material from which historians and other researchers will derive the primary material needed for their research. The main way in which this information is retained is to preserve as much of its substrate as possible, namely the paper, the parchment and the other media on which it is imprinted. The country's libraries have a large number of books and various other materials. The part of their material that is unique and of historical value must be preserved for the same reason as for the archival material. As for the rest of their material, although each individual book may not have significant artistic, financial, symbolic, historical, or emotional value, all of the material is an investment of very high-value for the libraries that must be protected, mainly through good storage.