Library Blog

Conservation Corner: An Ounce of Preparation

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Training for disasters before they happen

We think of libraries as safe havens for books, but they are not immune to the effects of disasters, as we learned from the aftermath of events such as Hurricane Sandy. While the New York Society Library was lucky in that instance, we don’t take it for granted that we always will be. Even something as simple as a leaking pipe can cause irreversible damage to paper based materials. Having a plan in place to respond quickly to such events is a crucial part of caring for our collection.

It was with this in mind that staff participated in two disaster preparedness workshops last month. The weather may have been clear and sunny, but we were immersed in thoughts of hurricanes, broken pipes, and rising flood waters. We discussed various hypothetical disasters that might befall our books, and got some hands-on experience with the recovery of wet library materials. I was impressed, if a little alarmed, at the range of destructive scenarios dreamt up by my imaginative students. Since I spend so much time caring for damaged books, it felt a little strange to deliberately get some of them wet. I knew that it was for the greater good, however, and in case you are worried, these were all deaccessioned books that were destined for the recycling bin anyway. No current collection material was harmed during the making of this workshop!

We are dedicated to taking good care of our collection, and while we hope we never have to use the lessons learned during this training, we are more prepared to handle future challenges.  

Staff members Cheryl Warfield, Catherine McGowan, Matthew Bright and Dana Keith participate in disaster training.Staff members Dana Keith and Christina Amato take in the carnage.

   Another innocent victim falls prey to the scourge of the pink post-it note. Often the dyes used to color post-it notes can bleed when they come into contact with water - yet another good reason not to use them in books.    Doreen Pastore looks on as Book Conservator Christina Amato removes a wet dust jacket.   A wet book is interleaved with plain paper towels and stood up to dry.   Wet books are stood on their end with their pages fanned out to facilitate air drying.

 

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