Tek-Esin Foundation Conservation Workshop

Tek-Esin Foundation Conservation Workshop Activities

The library collection consists of 8,500 books, 4,355 offprints and articles, 694 manuscripts, and 2,012 issues of magazines across 282 titles.

With the donation of the Prof. Dr. Zeki Velidi Togan Collection to the Foundation by the Togan family in 2015, the library collection has grown not only in number but also in quality.

The Prof. Dr. Zeki Velidi Togan Collection consists of 6,087 books, 2,086 offprints and articles, and 6,873 issues of magazines across 617 titles.

Due to changes in time, location, temperature, humidity, and many other factors, material problems have arisen in books, documents, newspapers, and, in short, the materials that make up the library collection.

The solution to these problems began with work on insecticides that appeared in manuscripts. This project can be seen as the first step in laying the foundation for a conservation workshop at the Tek-Esin Foundation.

We received practical training in deacidification of printed publications, book restoration, and bookbinding from Banu Casson, who worked as a restorer in the United States for many years. Under her guidance, we began establishing our workshop.

Considering that this would be compatible with traditional bookbinding techniques, we received training in marbling from Başak Kızıltoprak, a marbling artist and instructor.
I – Manuscripts:

1. Deinsecting and cleaning manuscripts
2. Repair of manuscripts
II – Ottoman Newspapers: Deacidification of newspapers

III – Archives: Conservation of worn and torn documents

I. Manuscripts:

I.1- Manuscript Disinfestation and Cleaning Efforts

Our manuscript collection, consisting of 917 books and treatises in 694 volumes, has been identified as having insects.

Our research has shown that two different methods are used to solve the insect problem.

1. Chemical gas treatment: This treatment involves applying chemical gas to the books in a room completely free of external influences.

2. Low-temperature treatment: This treatment involves vacuuming the books in special bags and cooling them to -40°C to eliminate the problem.

The first method is no longer used because it poses a health hazard and has detrimental effects on the books. Today, the low-temperature treatment solves this problem.

For this purpose, the necessary tools and materials are procured and a suitable environment is created.

Application and steps:

In the first stage, the books are placed in special vacuum bags and vacuumed. Vacuuming minimizes air in the package. The purpose of this treatment is to prevent water from condensing from coming into contact with the books.

After packaging, the books should be placed in a freezer set at -40°C, ensuring they do not touch or press against each other. The books are kept at -40°C for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, the books are removed from the freezer and placed on shelves, still wrapped. They are then left at room temperature for 24 hours, then removed from their packaging and cleaned page by page.

I.2- Restoration of Manuscripts and Printed Works

The Foundation Library and Archives contain numerous books, documents, and newspapers requiring maintenance and repair. Since outsourcing these tasks outside the Foundation would be costly, it was decided to establish a workshop for conservation and restoration work, believing that undertaking them within the Foundation would be more efficient and minimize costs.

Applications:

1- Manuscript titled “Mecmu’a-i Münşeat ve Ebyat” (Mecmu’a-i Münşeat ve Ebyat), number 626:

The book was kept in spreads, scattered, and unbound in envelopes. Many pages contained worm holes. Any damage that could be repaired was treated with Japanese paper, and the forms were stitched together.

The next step was the spine; because the spine is a movable section, we prepared a flexible adhesive mixture using methyl cellulose and acid-free glue. This mixture was applied to the spine, and Japanese paper was adhered to the spine. Then, the interfacing was glued to the Japanese paper with the same mixture.

After the spine was prepared, the side papers that would connect the book to the binding were sewn. Finally, the prepared binding was glued to the book.

2- Dante Alighieri’s “La divina commedia di Dante Alighieri,” published in Florence in 1827:

The book is in generally good condition. The spine is tattered, and the thin paper covering on the covers is worn. Japanese paper, American cloth, and 60-g acid-free paper were glued to the spine for reinforcement.

Marbling Studies:

Marbling is an art form in which patterns created with dyes are transferred onto paper using specially prepared water (tragacanth). Marbling was used for book binding and backing paper in book decoration. This art originated in Central Asia in the 13th century. Spreading to Anatolia via Iran, marbling developed new techniques and forms during the Ottoman period.

In the workshop we established within the foundation, we decided to incorporate marbling, the traditional art of book decoration, into our conservation efforts for manuscripts. Marbling courses began between February and September 2020.

Before starting the marbling course, the necessary infrastructure and materials were established to establish the marbling workshop with the help of our course instructor, Başak Kızıltoprak.

Examples of our work are shown below.