Value supported decision-making in paper conservation

Abstract

This research announcement outlines the fundamentals, initial reflections, objectives, and methodology of a research project developed jointly by the University of West Attica, Greece, and the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It presents the variability of the concept of value in the context of the preservation of cultural assets, the diversity of the terminology and the scarcity of specific discussions in the area of paper conservation. It outlines the conceptual contribution based on the relationship between values, historical evidence, and layers of data in cultural objects, as well as on the impact of conservation procedures on their interconnections. Finally, this article supports both the societal and material approach to decision-making in preservation and conservation through the interdisciplinary investigation of paper-based objects to understand them as complex artefacts.