Blog Post By Allison K. Donnelly, Pre-Program Conservation Assistant.

With more than 12 million volumes in the UCLA library, it can be tough to keep track of materials as they age, even with a dedicated full-time staff. Forgotten treasures may be hiding in the stacks just waiting to be rediscovered. One of the library catalogers made an excellent find when he came across four pamphlet-bound volumes containing nearly 60 issues of a German newspaper dating from 1792 and 1793.

The paper is called “Mainzer National Zeitung” (Mainz National Newspaper) from the city of Mainz, known also as the home of Johannes Gutenberg, the famous inventor of the moveable-type printing press. The issues in UCLA’s collection were printed during the occupation of the city by the French Revolutionary Army. A club of revolutionaries was attempting to establish a republic inspired by the French model. (Spoiler alert: they were unsuccessful, and Mainz was recaptured less than two years later.) This was the eve before major industrial developments in printing and papermaking, meaning this newspaper was printed using handmade paper on a press similar to that which Gutenberg invented. Many issues are also the only physical library copies extant in the United States. The newspapers’ age and rarity were sufficient grounds to move them to special collections.

I am a pre-program conservation assistant working with both circulating and special collections materials in the Preservation Lab. When I was introduced to the project, the preliminary documentation had already been completed by Head Conservator Chela Metzger. The pamphlet bindings housing the newspapers were tight and acidic, so we decided to remove them to prevent further damage to the paper. After peeling away the cloth and cardboard and removing the staples, I discovered more problems than anticipated. Many issues had thick layers of adhesive on their folds which had become stuck to surrounding issues. Some had remnants of cord and sewing thread, indicating they had been bound in a past life. Most notably, the staples had disguised severe tears and losses along the folds, which posed a great handling risk.

After separating the newspapers and surface cleaning the margins, I removed several pieces of pressure-sensitive tape. I experimented with different methods of tape removal, using a tool called the preservation pencil that delivers heated mist from a humidifier, and gellan gum, a stiff gel that delivers moisture slowly and controllably.

Next, I addressed the stiff adhesive stains. Solubility tests showed the adhesive to be insoluble in water and a range of organic solvents in various combinations. After some research, I concluded that the adhesive might be rubber cement, which becomes insoluble after a certain amount of time has passed. I skinned off stained areas with a scalpel, sometimes breaking the fold in order to do so. I used Japanese papers to repair major tears and fill losses. In total, about one-third of the issues needed repair.

Here are some images before and after treatment.

Before Treatment:

After treatment:

Each issue is now housed in a separate folder inside a box so they can be easily accessed by researchers and handled as they were in their original state. I feel fortunate to have helped extend their lifetime and their reminder that much has changed in the processes of papermaking, printing, and sharing the news.