المملكة: King Abdulaziz Library…a workshop on the foundations of restoring manuscripts and documents

The King Abdulaziz Public Library held a workshop entitled: “Fundamentals of Restoring Manuscripts and Documents,” which was presented by the Director of the Library’s Restoration Center, Shatha Ghazi Al-Ajmi, in the presence of specialists, those interested, and researchers in the field of manuscripts and documents, as part of the library’s cultural program for the year 2025 AD.
The workshop addressed the concept of restoration, its objectives, standards and challenges, with practical application to the manual restoration of manuscripts and documents. The application took place amid great interaction with the public who filled the services and information hall in which the workshop was held, as it focused on explaining the nature of restoration, its importance, goals and stages, and the criteria for selecting restoration vessels. The solutions used, tools and challenges, types of damage, and then the practical application to restoration.
I started by documenting the materials, applying to the testing of inks, then processing the manuscripts and documents, and manually restoring them to repair the tears and complete the small separate parts, and completing the missing ones with the materials for the restoration.

Spread awareness

Shatha Al-Ajmi explained that this workshop comes as an extension of an initiative presented by the library, which consists of spreading awareness of restoration and its goals, live restoration in front of the public, and holding training workshops.
It also comes in the context of the library’s interest in Saudi, Arab and Islamic cultural heritage, explaining ways to preserve it, and the efforts undertaken by the library to enhance heritage, which constitutes one of the library’s cultural strategic axes.
Al-Ajmi added: “This workshop represents the first stage in the restoration of collectibles, as there will be a series of specialized training workshops in the field of restoration: (processing, sewing, binding).”

Thanks and appreciation

Shatha Al-Ajmi extended her thanks and appreciation to the King Abdulaziz Public Library for making room to present this important cultural workshop. She also thanked all attendees, heritage lovers, for their interactions and distinctive applications.
It is noteworthy that the library possesses a large number of rare and valuable heritage possessions, as the library has distinguished itself by preserving them by providing storage places for them with appropriate international standards.
The Restoration Center has also begun to receive external services for individuals and entities, including restoration, treatment and preservation. The Center has distinguished itself by providing acid-free and diverse preservation containers suitable for the sustainable preservation of heritage collections of various types.