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The purpose of this article and the subsequent research within the Russian State Library, was to determine whether the scanning process influences the state of library documents – a question asked by librarians and scanning personnel alike.

The biological stability, mechanical and thermal properties of three types of paper were investigated after digitizing by three scanners (Minolta PS 7000, Bookeye and Epson JT 9000) used in the Russian State Library.

It was discovered that there were differences in the scanned paper properties in the comparison with control samples just after the digitizing and during natural and artificial aging. The conclusion is made that this treatment influences paper surface and may accelerate its decomposition.

It is possible to draw conclusions that digitizing promotes the onset of paper destruction, and artificial ageing catalyzes this process, i.e. stability of scanned samples will decrease in time.

This paper contributes to the discussion of providing access to original documents through digitization preserving and the effects on paper of the scanning process. It should be welcomed by both librarians responsible for digitization and manufacturers of scanning equipment alike.