Madden book. The restorer Haoy Jiang, an employee of the Frati & Livi company and a former student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, is preparing a flood-damaged volume for drying through lyophilization.

Mood Gallery. Seminary Library: in this basement, approximately 13,000 volumes from various epochs starting from 1500 were stored, including some precious incunabula. On the night of the flood, the entire basement was invaded by meters of water and mud. Only after several days, due to the road isolation caused by the flood, volunteers and the Frati e Livi company arrived to retrieve the volumes from the basement. In the image, a restorer looks out into the corridor leading to the entrance doors of the library. Damaged bookshelves are also found in the corridors.

Master craftsman. Pietro Livi, owner of the Frati e Livi company, serves as a teacher in the Paper and Archival Library Restoration course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. He guides the students through the learning process, imparting his knowledge for the restoration of paper and valuable books.

Volunteers . During the May 2023 flood, even the Municipal Archives of Forlì were submerged in water and covered in mud, involving approximately 65,000 volumes. Volunteers tirelessly worked for almost two months to recover the documents, ranging from recent records to historical pieces. Subsequently, they underwent a recovery process, starting with packaging and freezing to prevent the formation of mold and fungi, phenomena that occur in less than 24 hours. The next step involves drying and restoration, entrusted to the specialized company Frati & Livi. The speed in recovery and transfer to warehouses for freezing is crucial to ensure the success of the restoration.

Orogel The books, recovered from the mud and after a quick wash, were promptly wrapped in bags and placed in the "bins," special green containers, to be transported promptly to the refrigerated cells of Orogel. Here, they will be maintained at constant temperatures below 25 degrees, preventing the formation of mold and fungi in the first 24 hours. The next step involves drying and restoration.Founded 50 years ago, Orogel is a cooperative of farmers and agronomists and is the leading Italian group in the production of frozen fresh vegetables. Its facilities are located in the outskirts of Cesena, and they have promptly provided spacious refrigerated cells free of charge for the preservation of books in this emergency.

Washing. Library of the Archdiocesan Seminary. The Frati e Livi company has set up gazebos and washing stations, where the staff has spent days delicately removing mud from the saved books, using running water. Immediately after washing, the books are carefully wrapped in bags and transported to undergo the freezing process.

The "Books Wind" is the brainchild of Pietro Livi, owner of the Frati & Livi company, specialized in recovery and restoration, which in 2023 distinguished itself as the first in Italy to adopt this innovative lyophilization system for the care of paper and books. Unique in its kind, the device has undergone rigorous tests and received approval from the Institute of Book Pathology. Inside an elegant yellow tube, the water trapped in the pages of the books is extracted, frozen, and then gently evaporated through the heating of the treatment chamber, never passing through the solid state, in a space where a controlled vacuum is created. The process precisely follows the stages of freezing, evaporation (sublimation), and condensation. The "Books Wind" allows for efficient, safe, and effective drying of large quantities of documents, also helping to prevent mold formation and protect against the presence of insects.

Paper Washi The restored Haoy Jiang, an employee of the Frati & Livi company and a former student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, recently showed Pietro Livi the paper used to restore the pages of an ancient book, previously submerged in mud. It is "washi," a traditional Japanese paper known for its durability, lightness, and flexibility. Handcrafted through artisanal techniques, it is used for its ability to delicately repair and reinforce without compromising the readability of the material. This precious paper is produced using plant fibers such as kozo, mitsumata, and gampi.

Ariosto Frati & Livi, a leader in Europe in the restoration and recovery sector, has a dedicated department for digitization. The digitization of books is a process in which the contents of physical books are converted into digital format through page scanning. This process offers several advantages, including accessibility from digital devices, long-term preservation, ease of search and indexing, quick sharing, and inclusivity for people with visual impairments. Numerous institutions and libraries are adopting digitization to preserve and make their book archives accessible.