Csapodi, Csaba: Conservation of the Manuscript and Old Book Collections at the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Methods and Results. 1949–1964 (A MTAK kiadványai 44. Budapest, 1965)

protect but harms. A good portfolio meets the following requirements: 1. it is made of a lasting good material; 2. it is not too wide, it should not contain too much material. A portfolio wider than four to five centimeters is not practical. 3. It should not be too small for then it rips or wrinkles the edges of the manuscripts. 4. The inside overlapping flap should be held in place by a piece of string, the same as the entire file on the outside. The manuscripts slip if they are not held tightly together. If the papers have to support their own weight they wrinkle and rip. 5. Therefore the inner overlapping flap must be mailored — and the strings so placed — that the manuscripts are really held tightly. 6. The inner flap may not reach the edge of the board. There should be a little margin left on the board so that the weight of the file will be supported by the board and not the manuscripts contained within (Plate 46). e) Standing Boxes. Similarly to the binding and the portfolio this is also easily storable and can stand on the shelves like the others. The manuscripts stored in them are certainly dust free. The only problem is that we must beware of putting too many manuscripts in them, for if it is only slightly overstuffed it cannot close well. And if the manuscripts are loose then their lower margins wrinkle and after a time the manuscripts spoil. The situation is somewhat better when the individual manuscripts or smaller bundles of them are held separately in a stronger envelope within the box or if they are put between two sheets of cardboard to form a sort of fasciculus within the box. Under any circumstances it is advisable that the box be tied with string on the outside, although here — in contrast to the portfolio — the string cannot press the manuscripts together. f) Recumbent Box. According to our experience this is the best means of storing common manuscripts (Plate 47). 1. The use of space significantly increases in comparison to the standing box or portfolio. The boxes (40—50 cm long) are placed on the shelves with their narrower sides facing frontwards or on the guide bars of the storage shelves. Thus we can keep approximately twice as many manuscripts in a metre of space than otherwise. 2. The manuscripts are just as dust-free as otherwise. 3. We can place manuscripts of different sizes than in the second, third or other groups. 4. The storage can be furnished with uniform, pre-manufactured boxes. We do not have to wait until every bundle of manuscripts has its portfolio or box made to size. The important thing is that the bundle or bundles would tbe held together in the box similarly to the fasciculi and the standing boxes because otherwise the manuscripts and bundles might slip and wrinkle. It is also necessary to put a proper vent on the boxes, naturally not on the top where the danfger of becoming covered with dust exists, but on the sides. g) Coverings, Bags. It was even mentioned previously that the individual manuscripts or smaller groups of them should be placed within envelopes in the means of storage. The envelope does not only protect the manuscript, but the labels, description numbers on it make their finding, keeping in order and returning to their place easier. Naturally it is important to have the envelopes made of paper which is strong enough that it will not easily spoil in usage. h) Glass, Plexiglass. Formerly some unusually valuable manuscripts were put between two plates of thick glass tapes at the edges with masking tape. The difficulty here is not only the heaviness of the glass and the great space it requires. But it easily breaks and rips the manuscripts held between 2* 19