The UI’s prized Rare Book and Manuscript Library will close Feb. 25 to combat a mold outbreak that has spread throughout the vault. There are approximately 300,000 volumes in the collection, which is valued in excess of $1 billion. The library is scheduled to reopen May 5.
Only a fraction of the items have active mold blooms on them but mold spores have permeated the entire vault, according to Tom Teper, associate university librarian for collections and associate dean of libraries.
According to Teper, mold likely entered the library through the ventilation system, which was installed at the same time the library branch was constructed in the mid- 1980s. Teper said the mold was discovered in fall 2007.
“We took advantage of the dry winter climate in Central Illinois to plan our response,” Teper said. “We needed to determine how extensive the damage was, plan for recovery operations that would be performed completely by university personnel or assisted by contracted employees, and secure support for the recommended course of action.”
Teper said in similar instances, libraries have closed for years to recover a collection. In the UI’s case, a slightly more expensive process that requires contracted support was recommended, which has enabled the university to minimize impact on academic needs of students, faculty members and scholars.
Texas-based BMS Catastrophe has been contracted to clean the collection at a cost of up to $800,000.
“We are hoping to bring in the project for less, but that is the not-to-exceed amount quoted to the university,” Teper said. “Of course, there is also a significant contribution from the University Library in the form of services and faculty, staff and student time being put into managing the project, completing secondary work to mitigate the risk, and replacing damaged protective enclosures on books and pamphlets.”
Teper said BMS Catastrophe began cleaning the ventilation systems Feb. 14. Beginning Feb. 18, the company moved to cleaning books, shelving and storage environment using high-efficiency particulate air vacuums and magnetic cleaning cloths. Cleaning crews will work with personnel from Conservation and Rare Books to ensure that no items are damaged in the process, according to Teper.
Teper said the university has cooperated and supported the cleanup efforts.
“I, for one, have been grateful for the support given to us by the library, campus and university administration,” Teper said “This could be a very demoralizing time, but their timely response has been very heartening. We are beginning this recovery operation and are in discussions about long-term fixes for this problem. This type of recovery operation is the type of project one doesn’t want to repeat.”
Teper said the collection, which includes paper and letters of Carl Sandburg, H.G. Wells and Marcel Proust and first editions of titles by Charles Dickens and Mark Twain, is irreplaceable and invaluable to the university.
“The collection is a valued scholarly resource – one of the richest in the nation,” Teper said. “It attracts scholars from around the world and is part of what makes Illinois such an important research institution. It is also a tremendous stewardship responsibility that we are obligated to secure for the future.”
