• Conference: Meetings of Conservators and Restorers of Archival and libraries Materials and Art on Paper
• Organized by: Research Library of Dubrovnik, Croatia (Dubrovačke knjižnice).
• Venue: Online from Dubrovnik (Croatia). Free entrance.
• Programme: Programme (in english).
• Dates: 26 to 28 May 2021 (this lecture is given the 27th).
• Language: English.
• Lecture: Conservation of reused bidnings (part two).
• Abstract:
  Book conservation involves a tough decision making regarding usability and long term preservation. A book is meant to be handled in order to read it.
  These ethical considerations become even more complex when re-used materials are part of the binding, either because the covers are a document theirselves (for instance, a manuscript, a most common case also known as “disjecta membra”) or also when the binding is a recycled one, a palimpsest binding. The adjustments made by the craftsmen in the rebinding process should be kept as an evidence of this historical fact, and yet we might be interested in keeping other data from the firstly used materials. At the same time, preservation commands to take decisions in order to stabilize the object.
  The lecture focuses on several case studies (incunaubla and manuscripts with limp vellum bindings and laced-case vellum bindings) showing that decision making can only be a custom-made for each particular book.

This lecture has different case studies to the previous with same title, held in the conference “Solidarity in Culture” (Zagreb, March 2021). Watch video in this link.

• Other links:
  • Leaflet & general information.
  • Programme (in english).
  • Case 2️⃣: Conservation of manuscript with rolled sewing and disjecta membra (Lleida)
  • Case 3️⃣: Conservation of manuscript with recycled wallet binding (Guimerà)
  • Video: Lecture “Conservation of disjecta membra and recycled bindings”, part one, in English (with subtitles).
  • Video: Lecture “Conservation of disjecta membra and reused bindings”, first and 2nd parts, in Spanish.
  • Video: YouTube video of the lecture (below). Subtitles in English, Spanish and Catalan available.
    Access the diverse chapters with the YouTube episode markers.

The video has subtitles in English, Spanish and Catalan. Direct links to each chapter on the timeline scroll.

• 00:00 – Conductor introduces the speaker
• 00:42 – Introduction
  • 01:06 – A) What is reuse with diverse purpose (disjecta membra)
  • 01:55 – B) What is reuse with diverse purpose
• 02:12 – A) Recycling with diverse purpose (disjecta membra).
  • 02:28 – a1) Parchment manuscript used as a binding (Incunabula from Girona).
  • 04:53 – a2) Parchment manuscript used as a binding (manuscript from Lleida).
  • 07:41 – 1 vs 2. Are old repairs and re-used materials compatible with conservation requirements and to what extent their removal involves loss of readability?
  • 08:40 Decision making for disjecta membra materials (A).
• 09:17 – B) reuse with same puprpose (binding)
  • 09:35 – b1) Manuscript with wallet binding (reused binding) from Guimerà.
  • 20:14 – Decision making for recycled bindings (B).
• 21:29 – Conclusion
• 23:41 – Acknowledgement
• 24:06 – Questions