[ARSCLIST] ?Humidifiers for small institution holdings.

[Tony Greiner/Mary Grant <greints@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello folks.  I am a librarian at a public library, with
responsibility for our local history collection, which includes
magnetic tapes, standard cassettes and VHS. (Mostly video and oral
histories of local residents.)

I have been studying on what should be done to preserve these
materials, and the question of humidity comes up. I am in Western
Oregon, which is humid but cool from roughly October to May, and arid
from June to September.  We cannot afford a high-quality humidity
control system- but the questions come up.

Is it better to have a household room dehumidifier running in
climates with high humidity than to do nothing, and

In arid climates, is running a room humidifier better than doing nothing?

Thanks for any help you are willing to provide.  This is a great list to lurk!

Tony Greiner

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Tony Greiner/Mary Grant  greints@xxxxxxxxxxxxx