Fungal contaminant in the indoor air is one of risk factors that could damage valuable paper-based records preserved in libraries. In the process of monitoring airborne fungi at the Nara Repository, the National Archives, Seoul, Korea, three fungal strains, DUCC 16098, DUCC 17764, and DUCC17767 were isolated from the archive’s air samples. Fungal identification was performed based on the morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the 28S LSU rDNA, and β-tubulin gene (BenA), and TEF1-α gene. These DUCC 16098, DUCC 17764 and DUCC17767 strains were identified as Clonostachys farinosa, Penicillium cosmopolitanum, and Cephalotrichum purpureofuscum. These species have not been recorded before in Korea. Information on these fungi will help the monitoring and management of airborne fungi in the archival facilities.

Fungi are organisms that must be monitored and controlled in order to preserve valuable paper records. They reduce the quality of paper records by degradation and/or discoloration. As an effort to understand fungal contamination in the National Archives of Korea, the concentration of fungi in the indoor air of the unsterilized record rooms has been reported. However, what species are present in the facilities is not much known. In the present study, we examined the fungi isolated from the National Archives of Korea and found among them that there are fungal species which are newly documented in Korea. They were identified based on morphological properties and nucleotide sequences analysis of the polymerase chain reaction-amplified the internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA, calmodulin gene, and beta-tubulin gene. We report Cladosporium parahalotolerans, Cladosporium subuliforme, Ochroconis mirabilis, Penicillium angulare, and Penicillium fundyense as new instances of fungal species in Korea. Among these five species, P. angulare is known to able to produce cellulase and O. mirabilis as an opportunistic pathogen of human and animals.

In order for records to be preserved for a long time without physical and chemical transformation, the preservation environment of the library is very important, and environmental problems must be improved through periodic investigation on the preservation environment. Against this background, this study derived fine dust (PM10) and ultrafine dust (PM2.5) concentration data for the libraries, hallways, and workrooms of the National Archives of Korea over two years. There was a difference in the concentration of fine dust and ultrafine dust among facilities, and there was a change in the concentration depending on the month. Both fine dust and ultrafine dust concentrations were present at less than 10 μg/m³ in the libraries. In the hallways, both fine and ultrafine dust concentrations were highest in July. In the workplaces, the monthly fluctuations in the concentration of fine dust and ultrafine dust were large. And the concentration of fine dust and ultrafine dust in the workplaces were higher than those in the library and hallways. Overall, the concentration of fine dust and ultra-fine dust was measured below the maintenance standards stipulated by the Indoor Air Quality Management Act of the Ministry of Environment of Korea in all the investigated facilities. The results of this study are expected to be used as fundamental information to manage the indoor air quality of the facilities of the National Archives.

Temperature, humidity, and fungal concentration were investigated during the period from May 2019 to August 2021 to obtain information on the indoor air quality in the facilities of the National Archive of Koea, located at Seongnam, Daejeon, and Busan, respectively. The temperature and humidity of the undisinfected libraries was properly maintained for the preservation of papepr records. The airborne fungal concentration differed among the libraries, changed according to the season, and increased especially between June and August. Similarily, the concentration of airborne fungi in the hallways adjacent to the libraries also fluctuated depending on the season and showed a tendency to rise in the months when the ourside temperature rose. In general, the concentration of airborne fungi in the hallways was somewhat higher than that of the libraries. Importantly, it was identified that the concentration of airborne fungi exceeded the recommended standard (500 CFU/m3) by the Ministry of Environment of Korea only in the workroom where the classification and condition inspection of undisinfected records imported from outside were performed. Investigation of airborne fungal concentration from May 2021 to August 2021 showed that the 24 undisinfected libraries in Seongnam, Daejeon, and Busan were all good at 100 CFU/m3 or less. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data to manage the indoor environment of facilities in the National Archives.

To obtain information on the indoor air quality of un-disinfected libraries used for paper records preservation, temperature, humidity, and bacterial concentration and species were investigated at five un-disinfected libraries from May to September in 2019 in the National Archives, Seoul (Nara Repository), Korea. Temperature and humidity of all the five un-disinfected libraries were well maintained at 18-22oC and 40-55% in compliance with the National Archives Paper Records Preservation Environment Standard. Bacterial concentration ranged from 2 CFU/m3 up to 280 CFU/m3 which were lower than the Korean indoor air quality standard value. A total of 68 bacterial species belonging to 33 genera were identified from indoor air of the five un-disinfected libraries. Among the 33 genera, Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus were the major genera. Only Micrococcus yunnanensis, Roseomonas mucosa, and Moraxella osloensis were commonly found among the five un-disinfected libraries. Bacterial species producing colonies with color on TSA media were present. Among the 68 species, Bacillus circulans and B. megaterium known to produce cellulases were found. There were also 17 species which have harmful effect on human health. The results of this study indicate that continuous monitoring of air borne bacteria is necessary in the un-disinfected libraries used for paper records preservation.

The purpose of this study is to identify ways of remodeling from the traditional hanok to the modern local governmental facility in 1910s. Analysing architectural drawings in the National Archives of Korea, 58 hanok remodeling cases of 52 facilities were verified like the provincial office, county office, county court from 1907 to 1910s. Using hanok as the local governmental building, exterior walls were all changed to the scaled-wooden wall like one of western-wooden building in 1910s and the western-style entrance was set. Change of the plan caused by remodeling interior walls had an intention of the centralized closed plan. Remodeled semi-outer corridor using the space of the eave became changed to the inner corridor with expansion of space. Expansion of hanok for spatial demand was in three ways. First was the expansion towards the eave space, second was direct extension from hanok, and last was the use of external corridor to the new building. Using the eave space was simple but had limitation of space, it was planed with other expansion ways. The way of direct extension was usually used than the one with the corridor, because it was more economical way.

The aim of this study is to estimate and compare indoor air quality(IAQ) at stock rooms in general library and in National Archives and to provide fundamental data in order to enact the law on management of IAQ at stock rooms in general library. The survey of IAQ in stock rooms was performed in Seoul National Archives in August 2009, and the basic data on level of indoor air pollutants in stock rooms at general library was collected from domestic journal. The concentration of NO₂ was 114.1 ppb at audiovisual documentary stock rooms in National Archives. That value exceeded 50 ppb guideline that was legislated by the Korean Ministry of Public Administration and Security. The concentration of PM₁₀ and VOCs were 59±9㎍/m³ and 367±83㎍/m³, respectively at stock rooms in general library. These values were exceeded from the guideline of Korean Ministry of Public Administration and Security that is 50㎍/m³ for PM₁₀ and 400㎍/m³ for VOCs. Also, the exceeded probability from the guideline was 83.7% in PM₁₀ and 35.6% in VOCs. Therefore, we suggest that a national plan for the management of IAQ at stock rooms in general library should be established.

The purpose of this study are to examin the level of temperature, relative humidity and pollutants at stock rooms in National Archives and to provide fundamental data in order to protect damage of archives. The survey of indoor air quality(IAQ) in stock rooms was performed in Busan National Archives in August and December 2007, and collected basic data, on level of them at stock rooms in National Archives that were published. The temperature and relative humidity in stock rooms were within the terms of national law of the public archives administration. The concentration of PM10 in stock rooms in National Archives exceeded 50 ㎍/m³, which is the guideline of national law for the public archives administration. The concentration of CO, SO₂, NO₂, O₃ and Formaldehyde in stock rooms did not exceeded the guideline of national law. The concentration of total volatile organic compounds was shown to exceed the guideline of natioanl law. Therefore, we suggest that a national plan for the management of IAQ at stock rooms in National Archives should be established through a long-term, continuous investigation