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The article presents information about an advanced optical device which will be used for a quantitative analysis of historic documents. The device, which is called quantitative hyperspectral Imager, measures optical reflectance spectra at millions of different points simultaneously. The device will help in measuring location-dependent differences in paper yellowing. The device has been developed by the researchers who are working with the National Archives of the Netherlands. The hyperspectral imager is based on two identical wavelength tunable light sources (TULIPS) and a monochromatic CCD camera. The document under investigation is illuminated by these TULIPS.

The article presents a calendar of events worldwide. The "Understanding the Science of Preservation" conference will be held on October 10, 2006 in London, England. The "Paper Conservation Course" will be held on October 16 to 27, 2006 in Pretoria, South Africa. The "Workshop on Disaster Information Management" will be held on November 7 to 9, 2006 in La Habana, Cuba.

The article reports on the significance of a soot removal technique using dry ice blasting. The preservation technique was developed after a fire caught the Sevier County Recorders Office in Richfield, Utah which left a powdery soot on the hundreds of full-leather spring-back stationer's bindings. Several traditional preparations and techniques have been developed to remove the soot's grey residue which include wiping of a chemical compound with a natural sponge, vacuuming with a high efficiency particle filter combined with manual wiping, and thermal oxidation deodorizing. However, dry ice blasting was given consideration in the problem facing the county because the system is portable, can be run by a generator, and cleans much faster then traditional cleaning methods.

The article discusses the use of deacidification as a preservation technique for books and documents in Belgium. The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences started a deacidification project in the period 2003-2004 to treat books by using "Book Saver" technology, which was developed by Conservacíon de Sustratos Celulosícos SL. The procedure was formulated and introduced under the leadership of doctor R. Areal, a professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Belgium. The process found to be effective in increasing the value of pH which meant that it obtained an alkaline reserve of 1.5 percent.

The article focuses on the issue of use of permanent paper in France. France is regularly cited as a model in alkaline production. The production of acid-free paper would have developed since 1976, with the appearance of Aquapel, a permanent paper made up by the company Arjomary. The statement of accounts is mitigated as the French case feeds more on hypotheses than on certainties, for lack of information (as data are left to the hands of their owner or simply do not exist). This is why, before making alarmist predictions on the future of contemporary publications, it is first necessary to draw the attention on the lack of data and calculated evaluations. What is at stake is clear: before dashing disorderly into actions of promotion, it is necessary to acquire certainties. Because permanent paper is not the one and only solution: there is need to consider the questions of use, storage, environment and handling. Tackling the carrier does not solve the question of the preservation of the document.

The article presents several conferences. It announces the 6th International Conference on Preservation of Digital Objects (iPRES 2009) in San Francisco, California, the Digital Strategies for Heritage (DISH) in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and the cultural heritage online conference in Florence, Italy. Furthermore, it offers information on the "Advances in Paper Conservation Research Conference" in Great Britain and the international newspaper conference in Moscow, Russia.

The article presents the causes of contaminants in books and documents and how to control them. Damages in books are either caused by internal factors of deterioration or through the presence of insects and moulds. Contaminants damage the materials in the book such as the paper, leather and parchment which can weaken the support in the books. Among the suggestions offered to avoid such occurrence include controlling the climatic conditions of the bookstacks and dusting regularly the collections. Meanwhile, the factors which triggers the contaminations are the unfavorable environmental or climatic condition, the improper management of the resources, the absence of maintenance, the presence of harmful insects and the human errors in handling the resources.

The article cites a study on identifying a quality vegetable calf leather for the conservation treatments of old and useful books conducted by the National Library of France. The study showed that most of the vegetable tannins used to process the leathers belong to the condensed tannins family, which are also considered disadvantageous to the preservation of leathers when they become in contact with certain air pollutants. The study indicated that none of the 40 tested leathers passed the requirements needed for the conservation of the books. The study suggested that a continuing research should focus on evaluating the effects of each requirement for leather quality and partnering with tanneries to combine technical and theoretical data.

The article presents the conclusions of the research program conducted by the National Library of France from 1994 to 2000 about the comparison of the four processes of mass deacidification and reinforcement of acid papers. The research consisted of two phases that ascertained the efficiency of Separex, Batelle, Bookkeeper, and Sablé processes. The study showed that Batelle is more powerful against the effects of artificial aging, Bookkeeper does not damage the inks and illustrations and has minimal side effects while Separex proved to be inferior in quality. The study concluded that Bookkeeper is most valuable among the four processes that were tested for mass deacidification.