Latest news with #bookrestoration
CNN
14-07-2025
- Science
- CNN
Hungary's oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
Tens of thousands of centuries-old books are being pulled from the shelves of a medieval abbey in Hungary in an effort to save them from a beetle infestation that could wipe out centuries of history. The 1,000-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey is a sprawling Benedictine monastery that is one of Hungary's oldest centers of learning and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles burrowed into them. The drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle, is often found among dried foodstuffs like grains, flour and spices. But they also are attracted to the gelatin and starch-based adhesives found in books. They have been found in a section of the library housing around a quarter of the abbey's 400,000 volumes. 'This is an advanced insect infestation which has been detected in several parts of the library, so the entire collection is classified as infected and must be treated all at the same time,' said Zsófia Edit Hajdu, the chief restorer on the project. 'We've never encountered such a degree of infection before.' The beetle invasion was first detected during a routine library cleaning. Employees noticed unusual layers of dust on the shelves and then saw that holes had been burrowed into some of the book spines. Upon opening the volumes, burrow holes could be seen in the paper where the beetles chewed through. The abbey at Pannonhalma was founded in 996, four years before the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary. Sitting upon a tall hill in northwestern Hungary, the abbey houses the country's oldest collection of books, as well as many of its earliest and most important written records. For over 1,000 years, the abbey has been among the most prominent religious and cultural sites in Hungary and all of Central Europe, surviving centuries of wars and foreign incursions such as the Ottoman invasion and occupation of Hungary in the 16th century. Ilona Ásványi, director of the Pannonhalma Archabbey library, said she is 'humbled' by the historical and cultural treasures the collection holds whenever she enters. 'It is dizzying to think that there was a library here a thousand years ago, and that we are the keepers of the first book catalogue in Hungary,' she said. Among the library's most outstanding works are 19 codices, including a complete Bible from the 13th century. It also houses several hundred manuscripts predating the invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century and tens of thousands of books from the 16th century. While the oldest and rarest prints and books are stored separately and have not been infected, Ásványi said any damage to the collection represents a blow to cultural, historical and religious heritage. 'When I see a book chewed up by a beetle or infected in any other way, I feel that no matter how many copies are published and how replaceable the book is, a piece of culture has been lost,' she said. To kill the beetles, the crates of books are being placed into tall, hermetically sealed plastic sacks from which all oxygen is removed. After six weeks in the pure nitrogen environment, the abbey hopes all the beetles will be destroyed. Before being reshelved, each book will be individually inspected and vacuumed. Any book damaged by the pests will be set aside for later restoration work. The abbey, which hopes to reopen the library at the beginning of next year, believes the effects of climate change played a role in spurring the beetle infestation as average temperatures rise rapidly in Hungary. Hajdu, the chief restorer, said higher temperatures have allowed the beetles to undergo several more development cycles annually than they could in cooler weather. 'Higher temperatures are favorable for the life of insects,' she said. 'So far we've mostly dealt with mold damage in both depositories and in open collections. But now I think more and more insect infestations will appear due to global warming.' The library's director said life in a Benedictine abbey is governed by a set of rules in use for nearly 15 centuries, a code that obliges them to do everything possible to save its vast collection. 'It says in the Rule of Saint Benedict that all the property of the monastery should be considered as of the same value as the sacred vessel of the altar,' Ásványi said. 'I feel the responsibility of what this preservation and conservation really means.'
Arab News
13-07-2025
- Science
- Arab News
Hungary's oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
PANNONHALMA, Hungary: Tens of thousands of centuries-old books are being pulled from the shelves of a medieval abbey in Hungary in an effort to save them from a beetle infestation that could wipe out centuries of 1,000-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey is a sprawling Benedictine monastery that is one of Hungary's oldest centers of learning and a UNESCO World Heritage workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles burrowed into drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle, is often found among dried foodstuffs like grains, flour and spices. But they also are attracted to the gelatin and starch-based adhesives found in have been found in a section of the library housing around a quarter of the abbey's 400,000 volumes.'This is an advanced insect infestation which has been detected in several parts of the library, so the entire collection is classified as infected and must be treated all at the same time,' said Zsófia Edit Hajjdu, the chief restorer on the project. 'We've never encountered such a degree of infection before.'Abbey houses historical treasuresThe beetle invasion was first detected during a routine library cleaning. Employees noticed unusual layers of dust on the shelves and then saw that holes had been burrowed into some of the book spines. Upon opening the volumes, burrow holes could be seen in the paper where the beetles chewed abbey at Pannonhalma was founded in 996, four years before the establishment of the Hungarian Kingdom. Sitting upon a tall hill in northwestern Hungary, the abbey houses the country's oldest collection of books, as well as many of its earliest and most important written over 1,000 years, the abbey has been among the most prominent religious and cultural sites in Hungary and all of Central Europe, surviving centuries of wars and foreign incursions such as the Ottoman invasion and occupation of Hungary in the 16th Asvanyi, director of the Pannonhalma Archabbey library, said she is 'humbled' by the historical and cultural treasures the collection holds whenever she enters.'It is dizzying to think that there was a library here a thousand years ago, and that we are the keepers of the first book catalogue in Hungary,' she the library's most outstanding works are 19 codices, including a complete Bible from the 13th century. It also houses several hundred manuscripts predating the invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century and tens of thousands of books from the 16th the oldest and rarest prints and books are stored separately and have not been infected, Asvanyi said any damage to the collection represents a blow to cultural, historical and religious heritage.'When I see a book chewed up by a beetle or infected in any other way, I feel that no matter how many copies are published and how replaceable the book is, a piece of culture has been lost,' she will spend weeks in an oxygen-free environmentTo kill the beetles, the crates of books are being placed into tall, hermetically sealed plastic sacks from which all oxygen is removed. After six weeks in the pure nitrogen environment, the abbey hopes all the beetles will be being reshelved, each book will be individually inspected and vacuumed. Any book damaged by the pests will be set aside for later restoration change may have contributedThe abbey, which hopes to reopen the library at the beginning of next year, believes the effects of climate change played a role in spurring the beetle infestation as average temperatures rise rapidly in the chief restorer, said higher temperatures have allowed the beetles to undergo several more development cycles annually than they could in cooler weather.'Higher temperatures are favorable for the life of insects,' she said. 'So far we've mostly dealt with mold damage in both depositories and in open collections. But now I think more and more insect infestations will appear due to global warming.'The library's director said life in a Benedictine abbey is governed by a set of rules in use for nearly 15 centuries, a code that obliges them to do everything possible to save its vast collection.'It says in the Rule of Saint Benedict that all the property of the monastery should be considered as of the same value as the sacred vessel of the altar,' Asvanyi said. 'I feel the responsibility of what this preservation and conservation really means.'
The Independent
13-07-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Hungary's oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
Tens of thousands of centuries-old books are being pulled from the shelves of a medieval abbey in Hungary in an effort to save them from a beetle infestation that could wipe out centuries of history. The 1,000-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey is a sprawling Benedictine monastery that is one of Hungary's oldest centers of learning and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles burrowed into them. The drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle, is often found among dried foodstuffs like grains, flour and spices. But they also are attracted to the gelatin and starch-based adhesives found in books. They have been found in a section of the library housing around a quarter of the abbey's 400,000 volumes. 'This is an advanced insect infestation which has been detected in several parts of the library, so the entire collection is classified as infected and must be treated all at the same time,' said Zsófia Edit Hajdu, the chief restorer on the project. 'We've never encountered such a degree of infection before.' Abbey houses historical treasures The beetle invasion was first detected during a routine library cleaning. Employees noticed unusual layers of dust on the shelves and then saw that holes had been burrowed into some of the book spines. Upon opening the volumes, burrow holes could be seen in the paper where the beetles chewed through. The abbey at Pannonhalma was founded in 996, four years before the establishment of the Hungarian Kingdom. Sitting upon a tall hill in northwestern Hungary, the abbey houses the country's oldest collection of books, as well as many of its earliest and most important written records. For over 1,000 years, the abbey has been among the most prominent religious and cultural sites in Hungary and all of Central Europe, surviving centuries of wars and foreign incursions such as the Ottoman invasion and occupation of Hungary in the 16th century. Ilona Ásványi, director of the Pannonhalma Archabbey library, said she is 'humbled' by the historical and cultural treasures the collection holds whenever she enters. 'It is dizzying to think that there was a library here a thousand years ago, and that we are the keepers of the first book catalogue in Hungary,' she said. Among the library's most outstanding works are 19 codices, including a complete Bible from the 13th century. It also houses several hundred manuscripts predating the invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century and tens of thousands of books from the 16th century. While the oldest and rarest prints and books are stored separately and have not been infected, Ásványi said any damage to the collection represents a blow to cultural, historical and religious heritage. 'When I see a book chewed up by a beetle or infected in any other way, I feel that no matter how many copies are published and how replaceable the book is, a piece of culture has been lost,' she said. Books will spend weeks in an oxygen-free environment To kill the beetles, the crates of books are being placed into tall, hermetically sealed plastic sacks from which all oxygen is removed. After six weeks in the pure nitrogen environment, the abbey hopes all the beetles will be destroyed. Before being reshelved, each book will be individually inspected and vacuumed. Any book damaged by the pests will be set aside for later restoration work. Climate change may have contributed The abbey, which hopes to reopen the library at the beginning of next year, believes the effects of climate change played a role in spurring the beetle infestation as average temperatures rise rapidly in Hungary. Hajdu, the chief restorer, said higher temperatures have allowed the beetles to undergo several more development cycles annually than they could in cooler weather. 'Higher temperatures are favorable for the life of insects,' she said. 'So far we've mostly dealt with mold damage in both depositories and in open collections. But now I think more and more insect infestations will appear due to global warming.' The library's director said life in a Benedictine abbey is governed by a set of rules in use for nearly 15 centuries, a code that obliges them to do everything possible to save its vast collection. 'It says in the Rule of Saint Benedict that all the property of the monastery should be considered as of the same value as the sacred vessel of the altar,' Ásványi said. 'I feel the responsibility of what this preservation and conservation really means.'
New York Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
In This Parisian Atelier, Bookbinding Is a Family Art
By James Hill for The New York Times First comes a love of books. Great patience and skill is required to restore old books, but equally important is the belief that each one is a work of art. The women who run the Atelier Devauchelle in Paris sew and create new bindings. They restore old bindings and torn pages. They create slipcovers and special boxes to protect fragile workshop is located near Drouot, the auction house, which sells antiquarian books. Naïk Duca has worked at the atelier for 19 years. She presses a thin heated roller onto foil to repair gold lines on leather book covers, a process known as also uses an array of brass stamps to emboss elaborate patterns onto the leather.'What I like is that it changes all the time, even if it seems I'm always doing the same thing,' she explained. 'I need to adapt to each book according to its structure and materials.' Miki Tsuzaki, who has worked at the atelier for 22 years, specializes in binding and gold embossing. Her movements must be extremely precise when she sews the pages together with waxed linen thread. The craftswomen handle an extraordinary stock of materials, including silk, mother of pearl, wood and leathers that come in a vast range of colors and textures. 'Because we are working with objects that are a part of our heritage, we feel responsible,' said Catherine Colin, who directs the workshop. She has been there for 35 years. Isabelle Devauchelle, the owner, said that the workshop often doesn't know the value of the books it is repairing: 'It's better that way.' Her grandfather started the business in the 1950s, and she took it over after her father died in 2011. 'We are the largest bookbinder doing entirely artisanal work in Paris,' she said. Tsuzaki applies glue to heavyweight paper that will cover a slipcase. This is a page from an 1839 first edition of Stendhal's 'La Chartreuse de Parme.' Anne Lecat, who has been at the workshop for 17 years, specializes in paper restoration. First, she dips damaged pages into a special solution to remove the mold. Then she immerses the pages in a tinted gelatin bath, which returns them to their original hue. James Hill for The New York Times 'The number of clients has remained constant over the last years,' said Colin. 'They come because they have a love of books, and often the financial resources.'But who does the work has changed considerably. 'Originally it was just men,' Devauchelle said. 'Then, when I came it was mixed, and now it's just women.'
