The MIT Libraries’ conservation program provides comprehensive care for our rare books, archival documents, and artifacts. Our Conservation staff embrace MIT’s motto, Mens et Manus (Latin for “mind and hand”), by practicing a “learn by doing” approach to their work and research.
We have graduate degrees in fine art conservation, certificates in hand bookbinding, and advanced training and specialized expertise.The staff is equipped to carry out a variety of conservation duties in accordance with the code of ethics and guidelines for practice set forth by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.
Preventive measures such as protective storage containers and environmental monitoring help to safeguard the treasures found in the MIT Libraries. Learn more about our entire range of preventive care activities.
The conservation staff members produce and maintain permanent records of examination, sampling, scientific investigation, and treatment of materials that come into the Wunsch lab for care. This documentation is preserved in databases and written reports, and is supplemented with digital images.
All treatments performed at MIT Libraries are done with the same goal: to ensure the preservation of our cultural property for continued access. The staff perform simple treatments such as surface grime removal from cloth bindings or mends to ensure handwritten words remain attached to a torn document to major structural repairs to reattach broken spine covers of books.
The conservation staff disseminates knowledge about the care and preservation of cultural property. See our initiatives page to learn more about our involvement in the Cambridge Science Festival, National Preservation Week, Independent Activity Period programs at MIT, and more.
The MIT Libraries host a variety of exhibitions and displays throughout the year.The exhibit spaces include both Maihaugen and Rotch Limited Access Galleries. Themes cover many disciplines including history, science, music, art and architecture, culture, and current events.
The Conservation staff serves on the Exhibit Committee. In addition to monitoring lighting, temperature, and relative humidity in the exhibition-related environs (cases, storage areas, etc.), we assess and monitor the materials chosen for display, we fabricate display supports for books, documents, and artifacts, and we liaise with exhibit designers and installers to prepare and facilitate the rotations.
The conservation staff is dedicated to identifying and showcasing not only the original formats of historic books and papers found in the Libraries, but also to show how they – or specific components of them – have unique parts and innovative functions. Discover with us the history and innovative technologies used in the fabrication of our books, documents, and artifacts.
One example of our research is on letterlocking, which refers to the process by which a substrate (such as papyrus, parchment, or paper) is folded and secured shut to function as its own envelope. Letterlocking is part of a 10,000 year-old tradition, ranging from Mesopotamian clay bullae to internet bitcoin. Variations found in cultures throughout the world manipulate information to ensure secure communication. Letterlocked paper documents have been used from the late Middle Ages to the present by regents, soldiers, spymasters, the general population, and MIT’s founder William Barton Rogers.
We are developing a series of videos that demonstrate the various formats of locked letters and how they function. Follow our YouTube channel to see the videos as they are uploaded.