That library rare book room near me has terrible humidity control

I was at the Harrison County library last Saturday looking at their special collections. Walked into the rare book room and felt it right away - air was way too damp. I mentioned it to the guy working there and he just shrugged. Said the dehumidifier has been broken for 2 months and they're waiting on funding. I checked the hygrometer on the shelf and it read 68% humidity. That's way too high for old paper and leather bindings. Has anyone else spotted bad storage conditions in library collections around town?

2 comments

2 Comments

jasonf357d ago

Walked into the local historical society last month and saw the same thing. They had 18th century maps just sitting in a room that felt like a basement after a rainstorm. It's part of a bigger pattern I notice everywhere now (you know, the whole "we know it's wrong but nobody will pay to fix it" thing). Schools with moldy textbooks, art galleries with faded paintings from too much sun, even the post office has their stamp collection in a damp back room. People just accept bad conditions for old stuff because it's not an emergency until something actually rots away completely.

alicemurphy7d ago

Nobody will pay to fix it" sums up our whole attitude toward history right now.