This research announcement outlines the fundamentals, initial reflections, objectives, and
methodology of a research project developed jointly by the University of West Attica,
Greece, and the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It presents the variability of the
concept of value in the context of the preservation of cultural assets, the diversity of the
terminology and the scarcity of specific discussions in the area of paper conservation.
It outlines the conceptual contribution based on the relationship between values,
historical evidence, and layers of data in cultural objects, as well as on the impact of
conservation procedures on their interconnections. Finally, this article supports both the
societal and material approach to decision-making in preservation and conservation
through the interdisciplinary investigation of paper-based objects to understand them as
complex artefacts.