Batteries in objects

The British Library collects all manner of printed material
published in the UK.  Some of these items contain batteries, eg
children's books with lights or sound effects, and sometimes the
free gifts that come with some magazines also contain batteries.  As
a rule, we remove the batteries if it easy to do so, but we wonder
whether it is ethical and justifiable to partially dismantle a toy
or to cut into a cuddly animal, for example, in order to remove a
battery.  What is the policy of other libraries or museums which
collect this kind of artefact?

Dr Barry Knight
Head of Conservation Research
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
+44 20 7412 7229
Fax: +44 20 7412 7658


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:53
                   Distributed: Monday, May 30, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-24-53-014
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