Mold

I am hoping that someone out  there will be able to help one of our
emeritus faculty members as he tries to give some preservation
advice to a small library in England.

    The Strange Case of Mildew in the Robert Herrick Memorial
    Library.

    The church of St. George the Martyr in Dean Prior, Devonshire,
    England, is a small but ancient country church whose vicar was,
    from 1630-1647 and 1660-1674, one of seventeenth-century
    England's most important poets, Robert Herrick.

    Over the course of the last thirty years admirers of Herrick
    have assembled a small collection of editions of his poetry and
    of books and articles about him.  These have been displayed in
    the church for the edification of the numerous literary pilgrims
    who visit the site.

    Recently, however, the collection has been removed from the
    large, glass-fronted wooden case that held it due to a major
    attack of mildew. Because the stone church is so old (and so
    damp) and its congregation so small and of modest means, a
    costly and/or high tech solution to the problem is not possible.

    Is there any way to continue to display the Library to public
    view without the ultimate destruction of the books themselves
    which, though they are not rare, would not be easily or cheaply
    replaced? Are there any persons or firms in England who might be
    able to assist? Any suggestions would be welcomed.

    Roger B. Rollin
    William James Lemon Professor of Literature Emeritus
    Clemson University Clemson, SC 29634

Deana Astle
Assistant Dean of Libraries
Clemson University

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:24
                 Distributed: Friday, September 6, 1996
                       Message Id: cdl-10-24-018
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