The section primarily focuses on preserving and conserving endangered library and archival materials. Our target is to restore and bind about 600 to 1000 per year especially those documents with special/unique archival value, for example, Murumbi Africana Collection, archival material from the repositories, etc. Heavily consulted groups of records are restored. Under emergency cases, we handle fragile and weak documents and attend to them on first priority.

The section also offers training with industrial attachment offers and practical restoration is conducted for college and university students undertaking studies in information sciences, history and related subjects. Finally, the section provides professional advisory on conservation and restoration of documents at national and regional levels. We have hosted staff from Tanzania, Botswana and Zanzibar, and trained them on conservation skills.

Main Activities of Conservation and Restoration Lab Section

• Restoration of damaged records
  • Testing of ink
  • Testing of pH (Acidity)
  • Surface cleaning
  • Pagination
  • Dismantling and removal of fasteners
  • Washing
  • Deacidification
  • Full pasting
  • Minor repairs
  • Encapsulation
  • Enlaying
  • Tissue repair
  • Chiffon repair
  • Preparation of chemicals for repair
• Binding diversified materials
  • Case binding
  • Flush binding
  • Spiral binding
  • Soft cover binding
• Provision of professional advice on conservation and restoration of public records at national and regional levels
  • Training students on attachment
  • Advise students in schools, colleges and universities
  • Advise archival institutions regionally and internationally