Paper Preservation Subcommittee Annual Report: August 2005

Members: Ian Bogus, Tim Corlis, Tom Glynn, Jim Nettleman

The Paper Preservation Subcommittee has been working to create suggested standards with which to store and care for our paper collections. Three studies have been suggested along with suggestions to standardize repair procedures and equipment purchases.

Environmental Study Results:

The Paper Preservation Subcommittee has been performing an extensive environmental study throughout the Rutgers University Libraries system. A total of 33 dataloggers, recording temperature and relative humidity [RH], have been purchased and placed throughout 14 libraries in the system. Presently there is an average of five months of data that has been gathered and compiled. The table below has been taken from NISO report TR01-1995, Environmental Guidelines for the Storage of Paper Records. http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/tr01.pdf

These guidelines are very helpful while determining the current conditions at RUL and what our goals should be. A couple of items should be noted on this table. The recommendations for maximum temperatures are based off a compromise between a preference of a cool dry environment and comfort levels for people. The monthly drift figure is to be used for libraries that want to have slightly different environmental conditions during the summer and winter months. This is usually done to partially alleviate cost of heating and cooling. The drift is to be performed in a controlled manner.

The temperature and RH fluctuations at Rutgers have been shown to be seriously damaging to the collections. Two tables are included in the back of this document that show the statistical results of these fluctuations. The first table consists of consolidated results of the fluctuations recorded by each datalogger. Every location has had significant fluctuations at some point during the study. The average temperatures are well above the maximum allowed in the NISO standard. On average some locations are performing better than others, though this table alone shows only part of the story. The second table shows averages by month. Notice that some libraries have more data than others which could make comparison somewhat difficult. Most locations are showing that the HVAC systems are not having as much trouble heating and cooling as it is creating a consistent temperature. In many cases the average temperature has actually dropped as the weather outside has risen. The RH on the other hand has been steadily increasing much faster than the maximum allowable drift in the NISO standard, and in some cases is consistently staying above the maximum value allowed. This tells us that the systems are currently not set up to maintain a consistent environmental as well as not being able to remove or add humidity as needed depending on the conditions outdoors.

Ideally the HVAC systems should keep the environmental conditions within the standards set by NISO. Temperature and RH should be consistent both daily and monthly. If it is decided that a drift is necessary throughout the seasons it should be done in a controlled manner so that it is performed slowly with enough time for the materials to adjust.

As far as Facilities is concerned, the present status of the libraries is similar to that of regular classrooms. It would be worthwhile to attempt to change this status since the needs of the collections are different from the needs of a building being used solely for teaching. It may not be feasible to adjust the conditions for all of the Rutgers Library collections since it would most likely require a significant amount of maintenance or replacement of current HVAC systems. This group recommends that the Library system initially focus on acquiring an acceptable environment for collections with the most value. This would include Alexander Library and the Library of Science and Medicine since they are the main hubs for arts and humanities and science materials respectively. Attention should also be given to the Institute of Jazz Studies and the Media collection at Kilmer Library since these are comprehensive and important collections with media that are especially vulnerable to environmental damage.

A tool was used to calculate the TWPI or Time Weighted Preservation Index for these locations. This tool takes into account the types of materials and environmental conditions to create a figure that can be used to compare the likely life of objects in a collection. Below is a listing of the TWPI's for targeted collections listed above:

As a comparison the Preservation Index is 76 if the conditions are kept at a constant 68ºF and 30% RH. What this means essentially is that if the conditions are changed so that the TWPI doubles, so does the life of the materials housed in that environment. Alex and LSM's materials will last about 195% longer and IJS and Media's materials would last about 160% longer if stored at the constant stated above. Of course these are estimates, and the constants should be somewhat different depending on the types of materials housed in the buildings. For example it would be beneficial to have a colder environment for closed areas especially if they are housing film based materials. A thorough analysis of the collections should be performed to gauge the ideal environments for the different types of collections.

Acidity and Pest Studies:

Unfortunately both of these studies have met with problems with vendors. The acidity study that was planned became complicated by the fact that the supplier has discontinued a required piece of equipment. The group is currently discussing other options that can be used to gather the necessary data. The pest study has met a complication regarding the delivery of the equipment. The group is ready to start once it is delivered.

Recommendations:

• Give plastic bags to patrons checking out materials from the circulation desks on days with inclement weather.
• Set up a staging area for dealing with items infected with mold. This would include, ideally, a fume hood to prevent the spread of spores and a vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove spores from items that are not seriously damaged.
• Purchase a freezer for each campus. Freezing books is the simplest and most effective way to deal with large numbers of wet books. Having a freezer on-site is essential in dealing with the aftermath of flooding.
• Uniform book repair labs and procedures across the system are essential to our preservation program. These are in the process of being implemented and organized.
• Establish criteria for whether damaged or brittle books will be treated. These would include considerations such as the number of copies in the system and the number of times the item has circulated.
• Purchase 9 more dataloggers for the following collections:
       Camden: 1
       KAL Media: 1
       Music Media: 1
       IJS: 1
       Library's Annex: 3
       Backups for tests and failures: 2

Consolidated Results of Environmental Fluctuations at RUL

• Average Daily Fluctuations: The average of the differences between the high and low points of each day.
• Max Daily Fluctuations: The maximum recorded fluctuation in a single day.
• Average: The average reading throughout the study.
• Deviation from Average (max/min): The amount of deviation from the average from the maximum and minimum recorded values.

Monthly Averages