Qatar National Library, in its role as the IFLA Preservation and Conservation Regional Center, recently held an online lecture on the Advances in Paper Deacidification: Presenting Eastern Perspectives, which also marked the inauguration of the Library’s mass deacidification plant, the first in the region.
Featuring renowned international experts in the preservation and conservation field, the lecture aimed to build awareness around the importance of paper deacidification in the preservation of documentary heritage, in addition to sharing experiences about the advances and challenges in the deacidification research and methods.
According to the Library’s Director of Distinctive Collections Stephane J Ipert, the mass deacidification plant at the Library is only one of five in the world and they are grateful to be the first institution in the region to use equipment with mass deacidification systems.
Acidity is a major challenge affecting the preservation of documentary heritage. Mass deacidification allows us to control this acidity in large quantities and is a huge breakthrough on how we can preserve the Library’s documentary heritage.
He said that modern technology continues to transform the field of preservation and conservation of heritage in the Arab world and has helped knowledge centres like the Library discover new ways to safeguard Arab memory and monuments for future generations.
In 2015, the Library’s Preservation and Conservation Center was selected by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) as a regional centre to support the preservation of documentary heritage in the Arab region and the Middle East.
The recent renewal of the agreement between IFLA and the Library reflects the Library’s efforts to support Arab heritage preservation in the region through numerous projects and initiatives.
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