This Philippine Library Keeps 30,000 Ancient Books Worth Billions
Jose Rizal scribbled on some of the books in this library
By MARIO ALVARO LIMOS
In celebration of National Heritage Month, the Antonio Vivencio del Rosario UST Heritage Library, or simply the Heritage Library, opened its collection of ancient books to Esquire Philippines. The Heritage Library’s holdings of over 30,000 ancient books that date back to the 15th century up to the 19th century is the largest, oldest, and best-preserved collection of ancient books in the country, and while its value racks up to billions of pesos, the collection’s true worth as part of Philippine heritage remains priceless.
The Heritage Library is a depository of volumes of historical material from 1492 to the early 1900s. Some of the books in the collection were already owned by the University of Santo Tomas or UST when it was founded in 1611. Other books in the collection were donated to the school in the 19th century.
The Conservation Process
The Heritage Library is a state-of-the-art library and conservation center that has three main parts: The Stack Room, where ancient books are kept in constant cold temperature not exceeding 22 degrees Celsius; the Conservation and Restoration Laboratory; and the Digitization Laboratory.
The Stack Room is where books from the 15th century to the 19th century are kept. To prevent the growth of mold on the books, the room has to be kept at a constant temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. Although the collection is part of the university library, access to it is tightly controlled and regulated. Researchers must submit letters of intent stating the purpose of their research, and then wait for approval.
When the National Archives of the Philippines caught fire in 2018, most of the ancient books in its collection were saved from fire, but sustained severe water damage from sprinklers. The books’ pages became brittle and fragile that they have become almost impossible to restore.
To prevent the same from happening in the Heritage Library, the university replaced the water sprinklers with a dry fire suppression system.
“With the dry fire suppression system, we will be able to save and preserve the books from water damage in case of fire,” said Ginalyn Santiago, Head Restorer and Assistant Head Librarian at the Heritage Library.
Interesting Ancient Books
Some of the interesting ancient books in the Heritage Library include the oldest book in the collection, which was published in 1492, the smallest book in the collection which was published in circa 1890, a Tagalog medicinal book from 1831, and a book scribbled on by Jose Rizal.
Read more: https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/heritage-library-keeps-ancient-books-worth-billions-a00293-20190528-lfrm?fbclid=IwAR2UICs4qJ5ifr4m5aCaQOSJMkwJfdlK_9Qc0T7dT6fn0WKr739KBtdmuyc
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