Museums worldwide struggle with the complex problem of insect infestation and fungal infection of Organic artefacts. Every year, insects and fungi damage or destroy countless irreplaceable artefacts.

Some of the most common insect pests that damage documents include cockroaches, silverfish, termites, woodworms, bookworms, black beetles, booklice, and crickets. These insects feed on the cellulose in paper, starchy and animal glue, and leather in documents. Insect damage can be superficial, like that caused by booklice feeding on starch, or extensive, like when termites or woodworms destroy a book.

Fungi, or moulds, are also a major concern for archivists. Fungi soften document fibres by ingesting cellulose, which weakens the documents and can leave unsightly stains. These stains can be caused by fungal-coloured pigment secretion or binding of adjoining pages during fungal growth cycles.