Permanence of paper for records, books and other documents

This National Standard of Canada defines permanence requirements for paper in a broad range of coated

and uncoated paper grades. When used in conjunction with other CGSB paper standards specifying each

grade’s performance and physical requirements, this standard defines additional requirements necessary

to provide a high degree of certainty that a paper will remain usable for several hundred years without

significant deterioration, under normal use and storage conditions in libraries and archives.

A key objective of the standard is to ensure that paper buyers and specifiers have clear information on the

permanence of any paper product meeting the requirements of this standard.

The standard applies to a broad range of paper grades commonly used in the production of records, books

and other documents, which could be retained by archives and libraries, such as GCS 9.1 and GCS 9.29

or any other paper standard.

The testing and evaluation of a product against this standard may require the use of materials and/or

equipment that could be hazardous. This document does not purport to address all the safety aspects

associated with its use. Anyone using this standard has the responsibility to consult the appropriate

authorities and to establish appropriate health and safety practices in conjunction with any applicable

regulatory requirements prior to its use.