Heavy Metals in Books & Paper
About
From 2020-2024, Museums Victoria undertook a project to identify hazardous substances in pre-1900 book covers. The survey used X-ray fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to identify heavy metal pigments in book covers. Results showed that arsenic, mercury, lead, and chromium-based pigments were present in book bindings of various colours. This talk will present some updates on the research recently published in the Studies in Conservation article 'Showing our Metal: Identifying and Managing Hazardous Substances in Book Covers in the Museums Victoria Library'. It will also outline the library protocols used to improve identification and handling of affected items.This talk will be followed by a Q&A and discussion time, during which participants can bring questions for the speaker and share relevant experiences and observations.
This event will be recorded and made available to registered participants for up to three months.
Speakers:
Dr Rosemary A Goodall is an Honorary Associate at Museums Victoria where she worked as the Materials Scientist prior to retirement. She has been involved in the identification of materials in the collections with a primary focus on the identification of hazardous substances utilizing elemental and vibrational spectroscopy. Recent research includes heavy metal pigments in book covers, completing surveys of the Rare Book collection, main library and collection registers. Other research includes mercury vapour in collection cabinets, pharmaceuticals and plastics in the Museum’s collections.
Hayley Webster (Manager, Library at Museums Victoria) is a professional librarian and historian with 15 years of experience in the GLAM sector. She has extensive experience in collection management and curation of rare book collections, including experience in managing hazardous substances in heritage library collections. Hayley is Chair of the Australian Library & Information Association's Government & Special Libraries sector group and Convenor of ALIA Rare Books & Special Collections.
This event is facilitated by the AICCM Book and Paper Special Interest Group.
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Heavy Metals in Books & Paper
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