Benjamin Franklin advised fire-threatened Philadelphians in 1736 that, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
The Preventive Programs group within HL Preservation Services is starting an occasional series of HLComms posts called “The Ounce,” focusing on preventing damage to library materials. The first “Ounce” is a reminder to spend a little time preparing your workspace and collections storage for the holiday break, when nobody will be around except for the creepy crawlies.
Why are the creatures stirring?
‘Twas the holiday break
And all through the stacks
The creatures were plotting
To eat all your snacks
Holiday housekeeping reminders
- As work and storage spaces will be unoccupied for more than a week, please remove food and drinks before heading home for the winter break.
- Before the final custodial shift of your last day, place all food trash in a kitchen waste bin (so it does not sit in a random trash bin for a week).
- Best practice is to keep food away from collections and collections-adjacent spaces.
- Any food that is not stored in a refrigerator should be kept in a hard-sided container with a tight lid.
- Remember that pests are highly motivated to break into your stash!
- And once they finish your snacks, they set up permanent camp and forage for tasty proteins and carbs found in books.
To prevent damage from storms and leaks, library items should not be stored on the floor, on uncovered carts, or near windows.
Consider draping plastic sheeting on any items that are not protected against overhead leaks.
Hope you all have a restful break and Happy New Year!
-Deb Cuoco and Priscilla Anderson with poetry assistance from Baker Library’s Mary Samouelian and Heather Oswald
About Us
- Priscilla Anderson is a preservation librarian and manages Preventive Programs.
- Deb Cuoco is a special collections conservator and co-chairs the Careful Handling program.
- Elizabeth Walters is a preservation librarian for audiovisual materials and provides advice and services to prevent damage to AV collections.
- Amanda Hegarty is a special collections conservator and co-chairs the Preservation Liaisons program.
- Lauren Telepak is a collections conservator and co-chairs the Library Collections Emergency Team.
- Carie McGinnis is a preservation librarian and co-chairs the Environmental Monitoring program.
