On November 23, 1990 the German Minister for Research and Technology, Dr. Heinz Riesenhuber, put into operation the first paper deacidification facility in Germany. The facility has been developed for the German Library in Frankfurt, with support for the German Ministry for Research and Technology. It is an essential step towards saving the valuable library collections and archives in Germany. Unlike previous developments, it is easy to handle, permits large quantities of books to be treated within a reasonable time, and causes no environmental pollution.