In this study we investigated the microbial contamination of 126 samples of photographic and cinematographic materials from 10 archival funds in the Czech Republic. Microorganisms were isolated from the light-sensitive layer by swabbing it with a polyurethane sponge. Microbial isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF MS (bacteria) or by phenotype testing and microscopy (fungi). Bacterial contamination was more abundant and more diverse than fungal contamination, and both were significantly associated with archives. The most frequently isolated fungal genera were Cladosporium, Eurotium, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Alternaria. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Gram-positive genera such as Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Kocuria, Streptococcus and Bacillus. This bacterial and fungal diversity suggests that air is the main vehicle of contamination. We also analysed the impact of the type of material used for the carrier (paper, baryta paper, cellulose acetate and nitrate or glass) or the light-sensitive layer (albumen, gelatine, collodion and other) on the level and diversity of microbial contamination. Carriers such as polyester and cellulose nitrate may have a negative impact on bacterial contamination, while paper and baryta paper may have a partially positive impact on both fungal and bacterial contamination.

The traditional labelling of archive documents (e.g., hand stamping) entails several limitations. It could affect the aesthetic value of the archive document and is easy to find and remove in case of the theft of the document. The use of a label that would not be easily visible by the naked eye would resolve both of these problems. One possibility in designing such label is the use of the elements that have a good response in X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrum, are not disturbing in colour, and are not usually present in the archive materials themselves. This study focuses on such type of labelling, specifically, the tags based on the oxides of lanthanum, dysprosium, samarium, gadolinium, and niobium. For the material to be taken into account by the community, it has to fulfil several important characteristics, such as harmlessness to the archival documents, non-toxicity, or long-term stability. In the study, the long-term stability of these tags was studied on model samples of lignocellulose materials subjected to several types of artificial ageing. The colour changes and changes in the intensity of the responses of the individual elements in the XRF spectra were evaluated. To simulate the practical use, the tags of minimal visibility to the naked eye were printed on samples of real archive materials, and their potential for detection using a handheld XRF spectrometer was studied.Both of the research parts should help bring this type of labelling closer to the field application.

AbstractTheft of archival documents constitutes a serious problem for archives. A possible solution to this problem lies in labelling these documents with codes that are invisible to the naked eye. A possible method could involve use, e.g. of the oxides of lanthanum, dysprosium, samarium, gadolinium and niobium, which have good responses in the XRF spectrum and are normally not present in archival materials. This study is concerned with the impact of these oxides on the properties of lignocellulosic materials. The identification tags were printed on three different kinds of paper supports (Whatman No. 1 filter paper, paper according to ISO 9706 and sulphite pulp). The colour change, average degree of polymerisation, the pH values of an aqueous extract and selected mechanical properties after application of the tag and artificial ageing were studied on all the samples. The measurements showed that the studied oxides do not have a negative effect on the monitored properties of the paper supports and do not affect their long-term ageing behaviour.

Silicic acid esters have been used as stone consolidants for 50 years now. During this time they became the most popular consolidants for building materials, mainly thanks to their good properties during application. Despise all these positives, the use of alkoxysilanes brings also some drawbacks. The gel of the silicic acid esters, which is responsible for the consolidation, cracks and decays during several years after the treatment so that the consolidation has to be repeated. To suppress the cracking, the alkoxysilanes are often modified. In recent studies, we focused on modification of silicic acid ester gels by SiO2 and Al2O3 nanoparticles. Some of the prepared mixtures cracked less than the unmodified mixture under ambient condition. This work builds on these experiments and works with the selected modified mixtures. As the consolidants are widely used outdoors, it was necessary to compare the degree of cracking of modified gels under various conditions. In this experiment we focused on their cracking under different levels of relative humidity. As the objective evaluation of cracking was needed, we believe to come up with partial solution to this problem – to assort the extent of cracking to some defined category. The categories were defined according to our former experiences with observation of cracking states of the gels. We found out, that the change of relative humidity has huge impact on the way and extent to which the gels cracked. Knowing this information we may be able to prepare the modified consolidant, that better withstands outdoor conditions and thus to preserve our cultural heritage for longer time.