The condition survey of the manuscripts in the monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai

Abstract

Summary To embark on a conservation programme in the library of the monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai, it was first essential to carry out a survey of the books to assess their condition and record their physical composition. This paper describes how we record the condition of the books. As the collection is largely unknown and situated in a very remote location, it was clear that a definitive methodology was not going to be found until the survey itself had started, with the result that the design of the forms has in some areas changed radically from our first, formative visits. The working method needed also to be as rapid as possible, because our time in the monastery is limited and expensive, and to incorporate internal mechanisms to encourage consistency and accuracy. We therefore use paper forms with many check boxes and drawings, which also reduces written text, an advantage as we use surveyors from several different countries. The surveyors work in pairs, so that the work of one can be checked by the other, and the teams change at regular intervals to encourage consistency. Damage is recorded using a double percentage rating, recording the extent and severity of the different types of damage, to give a more rounded and flexible assessment of condition than a single figure would allow. The survey form consists of ten pages, with six further, optional pages if necessary, and each book is photographed with eight standard images, with some extra images as required.