Kouros Samanian: Traditional or modern conservation material and techniques? A case study of conservation methods during the book binding of manuscripts at the Iranian parliament library

The Iranian parliament library being the primary Iranian library has a unique collection of manuscripts. This collection mainly stems from the Islamic periods. The department of conservation is responsible for all conservation and restoration activities of the collection. According to a study carried out during my time as a conservator at the conservation department of the library both modern and traditional material and techniques were applied for conservation process of the manuscripts.

This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the use of traditional and modern material and techniques on the binding of the manuscripts, to decide upon the most more suitable strategy for a conservation program in similar collections and situations.