Information materials preservation is a critical function within Library and Information Management in Kenya, ensuring that valuable documents, books, archival records, and multimedia resources remain accessible and intact for current and future users. Restoration plays a vital role when materials have suffered damage from environmental factors, mishandling, or natural deterioration. This chapter focuses on the identification of information materials suitable for restoration, the various conservation methods applicable in Kenyan libraries, and the guiding principles that underpin ethical and effective restoration practices. Understanding these aspects equips information professionals to extend the lifespan of collections, supporting knowledge retention across institutions such as county libraries, university archives, and national repositories.

3.1 Information materials for restoration are identified

Identifying which information materials require restoration is the first step in any restoration programme. It involves examining the condition of materials, judging their value to the institution and weighing what restoration would cost, so that limited skills, materials and money go to the items that need them most. In Kenyan libraries and archives, where heat, humidity, dust and pests speed up decay, a clear set of criteria prevents valuable items from being lost while less important ones absorb the budget.

Example: the library of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology surveys its special collection each year and lists the water-stained and torn volumes that go to its bindery for repair.

3.1.1 Criteria for identification

The identification of information materials for restoration involves assessing several factors that determine the urgency and appropriateness of intervention. The curriculum names three: how badly the item is damaged, what format it is in, and what restoring it would cost. Together they decide whether an item is restored, copied, replaced or withdrawn.

3.1.1.1 Extent of damage

The physical integrity of an item is the most direct criterion for restoration. Librarians examine items for tears, brittleness, water stains, mould, insect damage, loose or broken bindings and fading ink, and record how much of the item is affected. The extent of damage decides the type of treatment and its urgency.

Partial

Partial damage affects part of an item while the rest remains sound: a torn page, a detached cover, a broken spine, a water stain on a few leaves or a small area of insect holes. Partially damaged items are usually repaired in-house with mending tissue, inlays or rebinding, and are a high priority because a small repair now prevents total loss later. Example: a dictionary at a school library with a few loose pages is re-sewn and returned to the shelf within a day.

Full

Full damage affects the whole item: pages that crumble when turned, a volume soaked in a flood, mould through the whole text block or a film that has stuck together. Fully damaged items need specialist conservation, which may be beyond the library's own skills, or they are copied (photocopied, scanned or microfilmed) and the original is stored or withdrawn. The decision depends on the item's value: a unique record is conserved, a common textbook is replaced.

3.1.1.2 Format

The format of an item decides which restoration methods are possible and who can carry them out, because paper, film, magnetic and digital media decay in different ways.

Print

Print materials include books, journals, newspapers, maps, manuscripts and archival files on paper. Their damage comes from acidity, light, humidity, pests and handling, and they are restored by cleaning, mending, inlaying, de-acidification and rebinding. Most library restoration work is on print materials, and the skills and tools for it are available locally.

Non print

Non print materials include photographs, microfilm, audio and video tapes, CDs and DVDs, and digital files. They need different treatments: photographs and film need controlled cold storage and careful cleaning, tapes need re-winding and transfer to new carriers, and digital files need migration to current formats and storage. Restoration of non print materials often means copying the content to a new medium before the original fails.

3.1.1.3 Cost implication

Restoration consumes staff time, materials, equipment and sometimes the fees of an outside conservator, so the cost is weighed against the value of the item and against other options. Librarians compare the cost of restoring with the cost of buying a replacement copy, making a surrogate copy or withdrawing the item. Unique, rare and heavily used items justify higher costs; common items in print are usually replaced. A library with a limited budget, such as a SACCO resource centre, may restore only its key financial and legal records and replace everything else.

Usage and significance

Materials that are frequently used or have high cultural, historical or research value are prioritised. Rare books, government reports and unique manuscripts are identified for restoration to keep them available to scholars and policymakers.

Risk of further deterioration

Items at risk of rapid deterioration because of environmental exposure or poor storage are earmarked for early restoration. Reports damaged by humidity in a county office, for example, need intervention before the information becomes unreadable.

Legal and ethical considerations

Some materials have legal restrictions or cultural sensitivities that affect restoration decisions. Sacred or community manuscripts may require consultation with their custodians before any physical alteration.

3.1.2 Methods of conservation

Conservation methods for information materials vary depending on the type, extent of damage, and institutional capabilities. These methods aim to stabilise materials, prevent further degradation, and prepare them for restoration or continued use.

Preventive conservation

This method involves controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, light exposure and pests to slow deterioration. At Kenyatta University Library, maintaining relative humidity between 40 and 60% and temperature around 20°C has been effective in preventing mould growth on paper collections.

Mechanical conservation

Mechanical conservation covers physical repairs such as mending tears and reinforcing bindings. County libraries often use Japanese tissue paper to repair torn pages without compromising the original material.

Chemical conservation

Chemical treatments include de-acidification and the use of consolidants to strengthen fragile materials. Some archival materials at the National Museums of Kenya undergo chemical stabilisation to neutralise acidic paper that would otherwise crumble.

Digital conservation

Digitisation serves as a complementary conservation method by creating electronic copies that reduce handling of fragile originals. The Kenya Medical Research Institute, for instance, digitises historical medical journals to preserve their content while limiting wear on the physical copies.

Environmental control

Proper storage such as acid-free folders, climate-controlled rooms and protective enclosures is essential. Business archives in Nairobi often use sealed cabinets with silica gel packs to manage moisture levels in stored documents.

3.1.3 Principles of restoration of information materials

Restoration must adhere to ethical and practical principles that ensure interventions respect the original material and maintain its integrity while being sustainable and reversible where possible.

Reversibility

Restoration techniques should allow future conservators to undo interventions without damaging the original material. This principle is crucial in university archives, where better restoration methods may become available in future.

Originality

Maintaining the authenticity of the material is paramount. Restoration should not alter the original content, format or appearance beyond what is necessary for stabilisation. In preserving historical maps at the National Library of Kenya, restorers avoid adding new markings or colours.

Visibility

Restoration work should be visible on close inspection so that it can be told apart from the original. This transparency prevents confusion over what is original and what has been restored, supporting the integrity of research at institutions like the Kenya Literature Bureau.

Affordability

Restoration methods should be cost-effective and within the institution's budget without compromising quality. County libraries often adopt affordable yet effective solutions such as locally available materials for repairs.

Compatibility

Materials and techniques used for restoration must be chemically and physically compatible with the original information materials to avoid adverse reactions. Adhesives used in restoration, for example, must not speed up paper degradation or cause discolouration over time.

Chapter Summary

This chapter focused on the process of restoring information materials by first identifying those in need of restoration based on criteria such as the extent of damage, format type, and cost implications. It highlighted the importance of assessing whether damage was partial or full and distinguishing between print and non-print formats. Various conservation methods were discussed as essential strategies to preserve these materials effectively. The principles guiding restoration were examined, emphasizing reversibility, originality, visibility, affordability, and compatibility to ensure that restoration efforts maintain the integrity and usability of the materials. The chapter then explored specific restoration techniques that can be applied depending on the type and condition of the information materials. Finally, it detailed several repair methods including full pasting, inlaying, fumigation, deacidification, tissue repair, and the use of equipment such as binders, laminators, photocopiers, scanners, microfilm, and printers to support the restoration process. The comprehensive coverage provided a clear framework for managing damaged information materials to prolong their lifespan and accessibility.