About the project

The variety of cultural heritage book collections and the lack of adequately monitored storage places cause their degradation. It is necessary to identify microorganisms, determine their role in the biodeterioration and establish the effectiveness of disinfection and the effects of its interaction with paper. Hence, the research objective is to determine the microbiological state of books using new generation, non-invasive methods (high throughput sequencing, 16S rRNA, ITS region, RNA, MALDI-TOF-MS analysis) and to determine the effect of 3 various chemical and physical disinfection methods (silver nanoparticles misting, essential oils, non-thermal plasma) on microorganism inhibition. Moreover, the mechanical and optical properties of paper included in historical books will be assessed.

This project includes 4 tasks:

1. Cataloguing of historical library collections and the identification of objects with biodeterioration symptoms.

   Degree of biodeterioration will be determined of selected historical book collections (National Library, National Museum, PL; National Archives, National Library–Klementinum, National Library of Technology, CZ; National Archive, National Library, SK) will be analysed at Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, Lodz University of Technology, Poland; Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic, and the Institute of Molecular Biology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia; under the guidance of Prof. Beata Gutarowska, Prof. Katerina Demnerova and Dr. Domenico Pangallo.

2. Application of modern molecular methods for assessing the microbial contamination of historical books.

   Molecular and biochemical methods will be applied in the analysis of microbial biodiversity for selected books. DNA/RNA samples will be investigated by high throughput sequencing (Illumina platform) (SAS, SK), MALDI-TOF-MS method (UCT, CZ) and ITS region of DNA for fungal community (LUT, PL).

3. Determining the effectiveness of novel methods of disinfection historical books.

   Selected historical books will undergo disinfection by physical and chemical methods. The non-thermal plasma method will be applied at the UCT. The chemical methods will involve the use of essential oils such as oregano, thyme, arborvitae and clove performed at SAS and silver nanoparticles misting at LUT. The effectiveness of the disinfection methods will be assessed by cultivation method using conventional culture media and RNA analysis.

4. Assessing the influence of disinfection methods on historical books.

   The need for disinfection is justified not only by the inestimable damage in the area of our cultural heritage, but also the influence of microorganisms on the health of libraries, archives, museums and conservation workers. Changes of colour and mechanical properties of paper due to disinfection will be analysed according to ISO Standards at the Institute of Papermaking and Printing, LUT.

The research conducted as a part of this project will expand the knowledge of biodeterioration and disinfection of historical books, thus supporting their protection and conservation, and above all contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage in whole Visegrad region.

“Visegrad feature” of the project

The cultural heritage is an important value that we need to preserve for the next generations. The Central European countries and mainly the Visegrad nations have very intersected historical routes, which are described in valuable books, documents and commune aims in order to protect and conserve the past, which is an act of faith to the future. The project includes significant aspects which are related to our common cultural European heritage. The project will be realized in 3 worldwide known scientific institutions in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Each of the participating groups has specific expertise and their combination will permit for development of reliable and effective strategies against the biodeterioration of historical book collections within the Visegrad and Central European areas.