Identical Books Project

In 2005 the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded a grant to the British Library, to study the deterioration of paper and books in libraries, under the theme the Identical Book Project (IBP).

The project was lead by the British Library in partnership with the National Archives and the National Archives of Scotland, and the UK Legal Deposit Libraries: - the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, Cambridge University Library, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Wales and Trinity College Dublin.

The aim of the projects was to understand how ‘real-time aging’ - the environment and patterns of use - affect the condition of books, may be used for lifetime predictions. To achieve this, each participating Institution examined approximately 400 identical books in each of their collections, using assessment tools which included the National Preservation Office (NPO) Preservation Assessment Survey (PAS), colour measurements using a Konica colour spectrometer, and pH measurements using micro-sampling techniques and a miniature pH probe. Fibre analysis of molecular weight, pH and fibre furnish of the paper was completed by labs at UCL London, and by Morana in Slovenia.

Further stages of the project included the measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOC) given off by books using using SPME fibres and elastomer strips, with analysis by the University of Strathclyde; and the analysis of SO2 levels in books held by BL and NLW books, along with the use of SurveNIR, a tool developed to determine the condition of paper.

Challenges included:

• Finding identical books due to the vagaries of cataloguing systems, editions, and production materials
• Being able to define the environmental history for the IB’s over 100 years

The project is now moving into a new phase, with support provided by the UK Legal Deposit Libraries. Conservators at the six libraries will collaborate over the next five years on methods to fully document the continued use of the IB’s and to record their storage environments. The books will be re-examined at intervals, to provide further information on the life-cycle of books.