The Laboratory for conservation and restoration of the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb was established in 1954. It was then already planned for it to be the central laboratory for restoration of the archival material in Croatia. From 1970, inside the Laboratory, a bookbindery is working, because the restoration of old covers and bindings od old books, could not be performed in bookbinderies that are dealing only with modern bindings. The Laboratory is specialized in conservation and restoration of the monumental heritage written on paper, parchment and leather. Except the archival documents; in the Central Laboratory books ( books in manuscript, incunabulums, old and new printed books), illuminated and oriental scripts, records on parchment, wax seals, newspapers, blueprints, posters, maps, globes and pictures made in different technics on paper are being restored.
Old covers are, also, restored, and books, depending on the condition of the original binding, after the restoration, are binded in restored original or new covers, made along the lines of the original one. For especially, valuable material an adequate, custom-made protective packaging. is manufactured
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Oriental manuscript on paper heavily demaged by insects.		Registers of birth, marriages and death damaged in war. Besides the heavy mechanical damages and polutions of different origin, books are damaged by humidity and mold.

The Central laboratory work for the needs of the Croatian State Archives and other Archives, as well as for the needs of other owners of written heritage in Croatia. From the very beginning of the Croatian War for Independence, the Central laboratory has worked on saving and restoring of the war-damaged material and material evacuated from, by war inflicted areas of the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

The sphere of work of the Central laboratory for conservation and restoration of the Croatian State Archives consists of:

• Conservation, restoration and binding of the written heritage;
  
• Keeping track of the condition the archival material of public and privat owners in Croatia, is in;
  
• Standardization of methods, from conservation-restoration point of view,of the phisicaly-technical protection of archival material of all owners;
  
• Making the priority lists of restoration of archival material in the Republic of Croatia;
  
• Controling the central files on conserved, restored and binded archival material of all owners in Croatia;
  
• Scientific, research work on the field of conservation and restoration;
  
• Professional improvement;