The Conservation of Endangered Archives and Management of Manuscripts in Indian Repositories

This book highlights the present status of manuscript collection in the different repositories of India, and also suggests some remedial measures which are required to be adopted for the proper conservation, care and management of manuscripts. It showcases the nature of base material, ink, pigments, binding materials, writing and illustration techniques used in different manuscripts, given the importance of having thorough knowledge about the chemical composition of different materials before adopting any kind of conservation practice.As dating of manuscript is a very difficult task, a great variety of techniques and methodology such as palaeography, style of writing, illustration and terminology, colophon, spectrometric methods, and radio carbon dating, among others, are discussed here. Furthermore, as prevention is better than cure, different preventive measures, including indigenous methods practiced during the ancient period for preservation of manuscripts, are also outlined, as are the hazards of using different chemicals for conservation of manuscripts.