This document summarizes a project to conserve and digitize heraldic manuscripts at the National Library of Ireland. A survey found that many manuscripts had structural problems like tears, dirt, and degraded ink. A conservation pilot project treated 176 manuscripts, with paper conservation and new bindings that improved folio distribution, interleaving, and safer storage. The treatment improved the condition of the manuscripts, which were then digitized to make them more accessible while preserving the originals.

1. Conserving for Digitisation:
Case study on the Heraldic Manuscripts Project
Louise O’CONNOR Élodie LEVEQUE

2. Heraldry in Ireland

3. Genealogical Office
Manuscripts

4. Survey
Quantify & Qualify time and
budget
Aim
2 weeks
Time Frame
Online survey website
Method

5. Manuscript Bindings - Structural
Problems

6. Paper Problems
Tears & losses – 25%
Engrained surface dirt –
Old ‘restorations’ –
10%

7. Media Problems
Iron gall ink degradation - 10% Colour change – 8%

8. Condition Survey Results
Excellent 2 %
Good 17 %
Fair 57 %
Poor 24 %
Binding condition
Excellent 1 %
Good 23 %
Fair 47 %
Poor 29 %
Text block condition
No treatment
88
Medium treatment 176

9. Conservation Pilot Project

10. Paper Conservation

11. Rebinding Options
Original structure Guarded text block Portfolio-type binding
+ Close to original appearance
Less time-consuming
Better folio distribution
Less risk of dust and tears
Safer mounting system
Interleaving sheets
-
Loose tail and foredge
Risk of folios tearing
Time-consuming
Risk of guards tearing
Storage issues
Unsafe handling
Historical integrity diminished

12. New Binding Structure
Alum-tawed
leather
adhesive-free
spine lining
Primary end bands attach text
block to spine-lining
Japanese paper guards
Vegetal tanned
leather covering

13. Rebinding Steps
1 2
3
4 5 6 7
8

14. After treatment

15. Before and After Treatment

16. Digitisation
 Screen shot

17. Thanks to
 Catherine Fahy, Mary Neville, Colette O’Flaherty, Katherine
McSharry, Jenny Doyle, Ciara Kerrigan - National Library of Ireland
 John Gillis – Senior Conservator, Trinity College Dublin
 Christopher Harvey - Head of Conservation, College of Arms,
London
 Cheryl Porter - Independent Pigments Advisor
 Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

18. More Conservation images here!
FIND OUT MORE on NLI’s BLOG
1. https://blog.nli.ie/index.php/2017/11/22/science-in-the-library-
observing-historic-manuscripts/
2. https://blog.nli.ie/index.php/2017/11/22/science-in-the-library-
conserving-historic-manuscripts-part-2/