Assessing and Monitoring Microbial Communities and their Impact on Documentary Heritage in Collection of National Library of Serbia – Preserving the Memory of the World (AMARCORD)

UNESCO PARTICIPATION PROGRAMME 2012 – 2013 (590 – 2/2012)

Principal Investigator: Dr Ivana Moric

            Documents containing evidence of the intellectual and cultural efforts of the humanity are mainly made of organic materials, many of which contain polymers. Accordingly, collections of documentary heritage are altered and damaged in natural processes. One of the greatest potential danger for collections of paper and parchment objects in archives are microorganisms that can cause structural, chemical and esthetical damages. Filamentous fungi are recognized as the pioneers in biodeterioration of library and archival materials, and they have been examined for their detrimental potentials in-depth. Quite the reverse, research on bacteria and their potential for deterioration has generally been scarce, in spite of many studies indicating that bacteria are almost always present together with fungi on examined deteriorated document.

            The oldest cultural institution in Serbia is the National Library of Serbia (NLS), founded in 1832. NLS possesses a rich, multicultural collections of manuscripts, old and rare books, maps, documents, photographs, art materials, posters, etc. Therefore, the research-oriented objective of the project is to evaluate microbial quality of the air in an archive of the NLS with restricted access, and to isolate and test bacteria for their biodeterioration potential(s). In addition, education-oriented objective is also set and is focused on increase the awareness of the impact of microbial biodeterioration factors on documentary heritage and health hazard among professionals and future professionals, youth and wider audience.