Preservation

Overview

The department provides a wide variety of preservation services, including environmental monitoring of special collections, collections emergency preparedness and response, and collections assessments. The Preservation Unit evaluates and treats circulating collections through repair, replacement, reformatting, commercial binding, and custom enclosures.

General Procedures

Circulating Collections

Questions? Contact Mary Coburn

Special Collections

  • Special Project Proposal Guidelines-Please review this document carefully
    • The Collection Management and Preservation (CMP) Department solicits proposals from Libraries units for projects to stabilize and protect special collections and other distinctive collections. Project proposals will be solicited and reviewed 3-4 times annually.
  • Custom Enclosures (In-House)
  • Vendor Enclosures

Questions? Contact Anna Shepard

Binding

Questions? Contact Chloe Santiago

Environmental Monitoring 

The environmental monitoring program assists in maintaining proper temperature and humidity levels within the Libraries. Specific levels for exhibit and storage spaces are dependent upon the environment and the needs of a collection; the desired range for temperature is between 60°-68° and 40%-50% for relative humidity with minimal fluctuations of +/- 5. Set points for specific spaces within the Libraries can be found here on Google Drive. 

Data from environmental monitoring provides information about deterioration rates of paper and other materials, risk of mold outbreak, and likelihood of habitation of various library pests. The environmental monitoring program was initiated in 2010; today, it has expanded to include special collections storage and exhibit spaces in over 10 locations in the Libraries.

  • Environmental monitoring requires the use of physical and web-based tools to help store and analyze data. Data management is conducted through eClimatenotebook which utilizes PEM2 dataloggers and a USB drive to manually collect data, and through Conserv which utilizes a wireless sensor and gateway so that data can be accessed on demand. 

  • Environmental data from specific locations is available here.  If you require historic data from earlier than 2015, please contact Mary Miller or Breanna Tyrrel.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Helpful Information to provide when reporting a pest

  • Date and time of sighting
  • Location of sighting
  • Number and type of pest(s) (see below for resources on pest identification)
  • Any signs of pests including frass, debris, and damage to library materials
  • A photo of the pest(s)

IPM Additional Resources

Questions? Contact Breanna Tyrell

General Preservation Frequently Asked Questions