[padg] RE: Re: mold advice

[Patricia Morris <Patricia.Morris@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

De-humidifiers have to be plumbed out of the space or emptied constantly.
(Nights and weekends can be a problem.)  I've used them in South Carolina,
and they helped some, but they weren't that effective in large spaces. 

I'd recommend using fans in addition to protective masks and gloves.  
Set up fans to get the air moving; this should inhibit mold growth.   We
used large carpet drying fans which moved the air effectively without
blowing directly on the books. Open up the compact shelving as much as
possible to get the air circulating.  
If you have very good HEPA filtered vacuums, you might consider vacuuming
spines and shelves that don't have mold growing on them.  This quick and
"dirty" approach would reduce the mold spores and could keep the mold growth
from spreading.  Cleanliness is as essential as lowering the humidity.  
If the university turns off the HVAC when the library is closed, urge them
to leave it on during this crisis at the least.  


Patricia Morris
Faculty Director, Pres. Dept.
Univ. Libraries
Univ. of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309-0184
303-492-3849
FAX 303-492-0494

-----Original Message-----
From: Michele Brown [mailto:mb72@xxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 11:58 AM
To: padg@xxxxxxx
Subject: [padg] Re: mold advice

I think bagging them will certainly make the mold grow faster on the 
items with mold. If the humidity goes above 60% bagging the books 
with mold will not save  the other items. The poor environment is 
facilitating the mold growth. Inactive mold spores are 
everywhere--waiting for the right conditions for growth.

Lowering the humidity is the key here. How about dehumidifiers? 
Lowering the humidity to 40-45% would make the mold inactive and 
prevent new growth. It may take a while since the books have probably 
absorbed some moisture.

It would be a good idea to use plastic sheeting (attached to the 
ceiling for example) to separate the affected collection from the 
rest, but don't try to seal it up.

Anyone entering the area should wear PPE. Exposure to the mold is 
another reason not to bag them up.



At 01:12 PM 4/29/2009, you wrote:
>Our institution is waiting for mold remediation bids.  The room is 
>located in a basement of an old facility. The temperature is fairly 
>consistent at 73F.   Humidity control is difficult. Our rainy and 
>humid season has started.  I expect  the humidity to rise compared 
>to the winter months.  Currently, the mold is on the spines of items 
>scattered around 5 rows of compact shelving.  No visible growth on 
>items below the 3rd shelf from the top. We haven't seem huge growth 
>in the last month.
>
>My question is should I bag the items that have visible mold to 
>"save" those that don't have visible mold?  Will bagging them make 
>it impossible for restoring- make the mold grow faster on the infected
item?
>
>I have no time line on how long the bidding process with 
>take.  Thanks for any assistance
>Kathryn
>Preservation Facilitator
>
>Kathryn Talbot
>Government Publications
>314, Hale Library
>Kansas State University
>785-532-6965
>ktalbot@xxxxxxxxxxx

Michele Brown
Book Conservator
Department of Preservation and Collection Maintenance
B-31 Olin Library
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 255-2484
http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/operations/bookconservation.html