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The preservation and conservation of books, manuscripts and works on paper has been a high priority at the American Philosophical Society throughout the centuries. Early (and sporadic) preservation efforts date back to the early 19th Century, when the Declaration of Independence was first "worked over." Modern conservation at the APS began in 1935, and can be traced to detailed conservation records kept by Carolyn Rugh Horton.

The Conservation Department today provides complete care for all books, manuscripts, and works on paper that are held by the Library of the APS. Preventive care includes placing fragile Library materials into protective enclosures. These enclosures are custom-designed to promote the longevity of the materials while ensuring that they can be handled and stored safely. Enclosures include: self-closing wrappers, clamshell boxes, portfolios, inset boxes, multi-use boxes and encapsulations.

Conservation treatment is often required for materials that will be receiving extensive handling from researchers, for materials that are severely damaged, or for items that will be placed on display. Typical conservation treatment of Library materials may include: surface cleaning; flattening of rolled or distorted papers; repair of tears; reattachment of book spines, covers or loose leaves; aqueous treatment to reduce acidity; re-sewing text blocks; cloth and leather re-backing; and new bindings of paper, cloth, leather or vellum.