Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association / Held at Ottawa, Canada, June 26-July 2, 1912

by Unknown

"An examination of old Brooklyn and Manhattan papers showed that in many instances papers published within the last forty years had begun to discolor and crumble to such an extent that it would hardly pay to bind those which had been folded for any length of time. Upon further investigation it was found that practically all of these newspapers were printed on cheap wood pulp paper, which carries with it the seeds of early decay, and that the life of a periodical printed on this inferior stock is not likely to be more than fifty years.

"This is a serious matter and demands the attention of publishers and librarians throughout the country. It means that the material for history contained in the newspapers will not be available after the period mentioned, and that all such historical record will eventually disappear unless provision is made for reprinting or preserving the volumes as they exist at present. The historian depends to such an extent upon the newspapers for his data that it will mean a serious loss if some preservative cannot be found.

"As soon as the condition of the files of the Brooklyn public library was discovered a circular was sent to some of the prominent newspaper publishers asking (1) the result of their experience; (2) whether a better grade of paper was being used for running off extra copies for their own files; (3) what, if any, means were being taken to preserve the files in their own offices. It was hoped as a result of this circular that definite measures of improvement would be suggested. From responses received it is evident that there is a desire on the part of the publishers to meet the requirements of librarians and others on this subject; and it is likely that a conference of publishers and librarians will be held in the near future to consider the feasibility of printing some copies on better paper, but the answers showed that no special paper was used and that no means were taken to preserve (by reprinting or by chemical process) those in the worst condition.

"Inquiries were also sent to various manufacturers of paper with no better result. No encouragement was received from this source except that one manufacturer thought that some newspapers were using a better grade, and another, that he had just the paper which ought to be used. It was stated that two New York publishers used a better grade of paper for a few additional copies, but returns from these papers indicate that no difference is made at the present time."

During the past six months the members of the committee have been in correspondence with publishers regarding the possibility of striking off a few extra copies on a better quality of paper, and Mr. Chivers has taken upon himself the duty and responsibility of experimenting with a "cellit" solution prepared especially for the preservation of newsprint paper.

Early in June of this year the committee invited representatives of the leading New York and Brooklyn papers to meet in conference on the subject. The following papers were represented: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle by H. F. Gunnison, the New York American by Jerome Buck, the New York World by E. D. Carruthers, and the Publishers' Weekly by John A. Holden. The object of the conference was stated to be: 1st. The consideration of method of preserving bound volumes of newspapers; and 2nd. The possibility of publishers printing extra copies of the current issue on a better grade of paper for binding purposes.

Mr. Chivers stated that he had not used "celestron" the German product, but had made successful experiments with "cellit," an American solution. His investigation proved that the deterioration was due in a large measure to the exposure of the paper to light and air and that by covering the paper with a coating of "cellit" or "celestron" the pores were filled and oxidation prevented. He was afraid, however, that the question of expense would deter most librarians and publishers from dipping the volume page by page in the solution, as suggested in the earlier report of this committee, but expressed the hope that some method would be devised by which it could be used less expensively. Mr. Chivers was of the opinion that since oxidation begins at the edges the life of the paper may be extended from 50 to 75 years if the edges of the bound volume are painted with the solution, and that this treatment could be repeated with the same result. He called special attention to the necessity of binding newspapers as soon as possible after publication so that they need not be long exposed to the air. The desirability of this practice was emphasized by some of the publishers and by Mr. Arthur D. Little, the Boston chemist.

Considerable discussion arose over the question of printing extra copies of current issues on a better grade of paper, and the conclusion arrived at was that there was no practical objection to it, and that it could be done without very much extra cost of time, labor or paper.

The conference developed the fact that there was another drawback to the preservation of newspapers, namely, the poor quality of ink, and that nothing would be gained by using the better quality of paper unless a better quality of ink was used.

Mr. Carruthers, of the New York World, drew attention to the fact that the colored sections of the Metropolitan Sunday papers were destroyed by worms within a short time after publication.