The guide is aimed at individuals and organisations seeking ‘the Library’s’ advice about their collection,
State Library Victoria's conservation experts have produced a series of information guides to help you care for and conserve your books, newspapers, artworks, paper documents and photographs. These downloadable PDFs cover topics from pests and mould to storage and framing.
Packing and storing books (pdf,41.81 KB)- an information guide by SLV's conservation experts.
Nürnbergische Hesperides. Nuremberg, the author, 1708–14; RARESF 634.3 V88
Storing newspapers (pdf,42.2 KB)
Newspapers are ephemeral objects, intended to share the latest news and be discarded. They are printed on low quality, acidic paper and were never built to last.
Due to their highly acidic nature, newspapers can become yellow and embrittled over time, making them extremely fragile and easy to tear, and in some cases impossible to handle or read at all.
The Library holds over 3000 newspapers in various formats from across Victoria, wider-Australia and overseas. These date from the 1800s to present.
The Library’s Collection Care team is responsible for assessing and repairing fragile Victorian newspapers in the Library collection, in preparation for their digitisation. For the Collection Care team, best practice methods for newspaper care are always changing and evolving with new developments.
Historically, many of the newspapers in the Library’s care have been stored in ways that were suitable at the time but are no longer appropriate today. Similarly, how Collection Care treat newspapers now will also likely change over time, as advancements reveal new ways to best preserve their longevity.
Example of newspaper discolouration and embrittlement
The State Library of Queensland have several relevant guides
Paper based archives by the National Archives of Australia
Handling paper, paintings and framed objects by Museums and Galleries of NSW
Your Old Books by Association of College and Research Libraries
Combatting Mould from the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Paper Conservation: identifying common forms of damage and storing paper in your collection from Museums and Galleries of NSW.
This blog follows the journey of a parchment fragment, from its origins as a page in a 12th century French Bible, through to its 2022 acquisition into the State Library Victoria Collection.
