LTA Materials Processing and Preservation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which adhesive is most commonly recommended for book repair in library preservation work?
- Super glue (cyanoacrylate)
- Polyvinyl acetate (PVA) (Correct answer)
- Rubber cement
- Hot glue
Correct answer: Polyvinyl acetate (PVA)
PVA is preferred for book repair because it is flexible, reversible when wet, and archivally stable.
Question 2: What does the term 'deacidification' refer to in library preservation?
- Removing mold from materials
- Neutralizing acid in paper to slow deterioration (Correct answer)
- Cleaning dust from book covers
- Digitizing acidic documents
Correct answer: Neutralizing acid in paper to slow deterioration
Deacidification is a chemical process that neutralizes acids in paper and deposits an alkaline buffer to slow future deterioration.
Question 3: A library receives a water-damaged book. What is the recommended first step?
- Place it in a freezer to halt mold growth (Correct answer)
- Dry it with a hair dryer immediately
- Photocopy all pages before drying
- Apply a fungicide spray
Correct answer: Place it in a freezer to halt mold growth
Freezing halts mold growth within 24–48 hours and allows controlled drying later, making it the recommended emergency response.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of encapsulation in preservation?
- To bind loose pages into a volume
- To protect fragile documents between two sheets of polyester film (Correct answer)
- To apply microfilm to oversized items
- To chemically stabilize iron gall ink
Correct answer: To protect fragile documents between two sheets of polyester film
Encapsulation seals a document between two sheets of polyester (Mylar) film to provide physical support and protection without touching the item with adhesive.
Question 5: Which environmental condition poses the greatest risk to photographic materials in a library collection?
- Low light levels
- High relative humidity and temperature fluctuations (Correct answer)
- Moderate air circulation
- Low carbon dioxide levels
Correct answer: High relative humidity and temperature fluctuations
High humidity accelerates chemical decay in photographs and promotes mold, while temperature fluctuations cause physical stress to film layers.
Question 6: What is 'cold storage' used for in library preservation contexts?
- Storing rare books at room temperature in sealed vaults
- Long-term storage of color photographs and film at low temperatures (Correct answer)
- Keeping digitized backups on cold server nodes
- Freezing materials infested with insects
Correct answer: Long-term storage of color photographs and film at low temperatures
Cold storage (typically 35°F/2°C or lower) dramatically slows chemical deterioration in color photographs and motion picture film.
Question 7: When processing a new monograph, in what order are tasks typically completed?
- Catalog, stamp ownership, add security strip, label spine (Correct answer)
- Label spine, catalog, stamp ownership, add security strip
- Add security strip, label spine, stamp ownership, catalog
- Stamp ownership, add security strip, catalog, label spine
Correct answer: Catalog, stamp ownership, add security strip, label spine
Cataloging is performed first so that call numbers and bibliographic data are established before physical processing steps such as labeling.
LTA Materials Processing and Preservation 2
Which adhesive is most commonly recommended for book repair in library preservation work?