Books

What are the most common types of damage?

Books are vulnerable to physical damage and to the damage caused by chemical deterioration of their components.

Physical damage is very obvious and includes problems such as:

• dog-eared pages;
  
  
• tears to pages;
  
  
• loss of pages—especially in modern books made up of single sheets attached by sewing or gluing;
  
  
• broken joints and detached covers;
  
  
• scuffing, wearing and losses to the bookcloth, leather or paper covers;
  
  
• insect attack;
  
  
• wear and tear from excessive or careless use; and

• distortions caused by fluctuations and extremes of relative humidity and temperature in storage and display environments.

Dog-eared corners are at the head and tail of this 18th century book. There is other damage to the centre of the pages. Photograph courtesy of Vicki Humphrey

The back cover of this 19th century paper-covered book is damaged, stained and soiled. Photograph courtesy of Vicki Humphrey

This book has lost its front cover and spine, the back cover remains in place but is poorly attached. Photograph courtesy of Vicki Humphrey

This dictionary is only a few years old, but because the text block is made up of single sheets glued at the spine, the book has fallen apart. Photograph courtesy of Vicki Humphrey

The leather covers of this 17th century book are badly worn and scuffed. Photograph courtesy of Vicki Humphrey

Insects feasted on this book, eating through covers and text blocks. Photograph courtesy of Artlab Australia, reproduced with permission of the State Library of South Australia

The covering material has dried out in low relative humidity, pulling the board out of shape. Photograph courtesy of Artlab Australia, reproduced with permission of the State Library of South Australia

Damage caused by chemical deterioration includes:

• the textblock and binding materials fading, becoming discoloured and becoming brittle. This can be caused by exposure to UV radiation and high lighting levels and the ageing of the materials in the book and the materials with which the book is in contact;

• mould growth—mould digests the materials on which it grows; and

• damage from pollutants. This is a problem particularly with leather bindings when they came into contact with sulfur dioxide pollution. This produces a condition called red-rot.

This 19th century book has been stored on a bookshelf. Its spine has faded as it has been exposed to light, while the front and backboards have been protected by the other books on the shelf. Photograph courtesy of Vicki Humphrey

This modern book is only 14 years old and already the paper is beginning to discolour because of the lignin in the paper. Photograph courtesy of Vicki Humphrey

This book has suffered severe mould damage, not just to the surface of the paper shown but also to many layers beneath. Photograph courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales

This leather binding deteriorated after exposure to sulphur dioxide pollutants in the atmosphere. Photograph courtesy of Artlab Australia, reproduced with permission of the History Trust of South Australia.