Preservation and conservation of library materials

Library is the store house of knowledge which is stored in the form of documents. It represents the lifelong labors undertaken by philosophers and scientist. It is very difficult task for library staff to preserve the treasure of knowledge for the future generation. Preservation deals with the regular maintenance aspect whereas conservation deals with remedial treatment. Books, periodicals, pamphlets, newspapers & non print materials are the collection of a library which is to be saved from the deterioration. Deterioration is the process by which library material is damaged, destroy or decay by means of various factors like environmental, biological, chemical etc. Repair and restoration is also a part of preservation & conservation that is basically concerned with the already damaged or affected library material. It is our responsibility to create user friendly environment and preserve library material for future generation. In general, ‘Conservation’ and ‘Preservation’ word is used synonymously but they are the two different aspect of the same coin. Preservation deals with the regular maintenance aspect whereas conservation deals with remedial treatment. Library staff has little knowledge about the preservation and conservation of library materials.