Investigating disaster recovery protocols for significant books
The destruction of the 2005 Hurricanes along the Gulf Coast brought international attention to the effects of flooding on cultural resources. The fragile materials used in printed matter were particularly hard hit, leaving conservators the mammoth task of rescuing significant documents in several states.
Making the task a little easier is a recent PTT Grant project conducted by University of Utah's J. Willard Marriott Library. Domestic and international partners are working with the Marriot Library to research recovery protocols for library materials damaged by flooding. The research focuses on books of historical significance (dating from the 18th through the 20th centuries), clarifying the most effective disaster recovery procedures when dealing with collections of culturally significant or irreplaceable books.
"The results of this inquiry will determine the long-term effects of drying and sterilization techniques on cellulose," said Randy Silverman, Marriott Library Preservation Librarian and principal investigator on the project, who aided in recovery efforts in New Orleans. "Using real books to better mirror actual disaster conditions, our goal is to answer the question, 'What are the most significant factors to isolate when critically evaluating a flood-damaged library collection before determining how to best dry the collection and eradicate mold secondary problems?'"
The problem of drying water-damaged books is common to libraries worldwide, with modern book conservation originating with the events surrounding the Florence Flood of 1966. Despite literally dozens of large-scale disasters and thousands of small events that have occurred worldwide since that time, the problem of defining best practices for disaster recovery remained ambiguous.
The PTTGrant went to research emergency washing, drying, and sterilization techniques. This research hopes to help libraries around the globe to respond more effectively to water-related problems affecting irreplaceable collections.
International partners include the British Library in London and the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Domestic partners include the conservation center of the National Park Service at Harpers Ferry in West Virginia; Applied Paper Technology, Inc., a commercial paper testing lab in Atlanta; Preservation Technologies, Inc., a commercial mass-deacidification firm in Pennsylvania; Sterigenics, a commercial sterilization firm in California; Belfor USA, a commercial disaster recovery firm in Fort Worth; Artifex Equipment, Inc., developer of innovative drying technologies in California; and Sam Weller Used and Rare Books in Salt Lake City, which provided test samples.