Preserving today the centuries-old paper-based cultural heritage

One of the more unexpected long-term repercussions of the climate crisis is the loss of cultural heritage due to ever more frequent and devastating natural disasters. Adopting the perspective of an art conservator, a professional who ensures and oversees the safeguarding of cultural assets, this program seeks to raise awareness among school students about the need to prepare for the salvage of treasures stored in archives and libraries that are under threat due to extreme natural phenomena.

Within this framework, school students will come to recognize the dangers posed by the climate crisis for archives and libraries through the discussion of catastrophic events from across the globe. They will get to know the materials that are used to make books and that comprise archival collections (paper, parchment, photographs, and so on) in order to ascertain what kinds of damage are connected to climate change. And they will become familiar with the latest protective measures being implemented to combat the repercussions of extreme weather events, with a view to saving original materials from harm more effectively.

This workshop doesn’t just talk theory – it also gets practical, with student groups constructing storage systems for the protection of archival materials and books. They will also draw up a response plan for safeguarding people, buildings, and collections, playing an active role in an emergency/disaster simulation exercise using tools available to them in their everyday lives.