Library Buildings:
Evaluating for Preservation

A One-day Seminar
at
Johnson Hall
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA

Tuesday, March 14, 2000

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM

In presenting this program, for the first time The Los Angeles Preservation Network (LAPNet) addresses the buildings in which library materials are housed. The speakers will discuss such topics as the structure of the building, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, lighting, shelving, maintenance, talking the "Facilities Language", financing facilities upgrades, interim measures, and librarians as part of the facilities team. With our speakers as guides, participants will have the opportunity to walk through the Occidental College Library with an eye towards evaluating the building as a facility for housing library collections. Participants will then have an opportunity to discuss their findings with the speakers, and to ask questions.

This program will present library preservation issues to consider in evaluating existing library buildings which participants can apply at their own institutions.

About our speakers:

• David H. Richards and James Weiner, from the firm of Fields Deveraux, have worked on several library renovation projects, and are currently involved in the Doheny Memorial Library earthquake retrofitting and preservation project at USC.
• Susan E. Parker has been directly involved in responding to mold infestation in the CSU Northridge Library following the Northridge earthquake.
• Susan Rogers has years of experience as a paper conservator and was recently appointed as Chief Preservation Officer at the Huntington Library.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

8:30 Registration

9:00 Welcome and Introduction

9:15 David H. Richards, AIA, Fields Deveraux Architects & Engineers

10:00 Susan E. Parker, Associate Dean, University Library, California State University, Northridge

10:40 Break

11:00 James Weiner, Fields Deveraux Architects & Engineers

11:30 Susan Rogers, The Lloyd E. Cotsen Chief Preservation Officer, The Huntington Library

12:15 Lunch

1:30 Walk through the Occidental College Library

2:45 Panel Discussion

4:00 End 

Program Planning Committee

Emily Bergman (Occidental College),
Melinda Hayes (USC),
Lorraine Perrotta (The Huntington Library)

The LAPNet Steering Committee express their appreciation to Occidental College Library for its generous support in providing the facilities for the program, and to our speakers, David H. Richards and James Weiner of Fields Deveraux, Susan E. Parker of CSU Northridge, and Susan Rogers of the Huntington Library, for their time and input in making this program happen.

SPEAKERS PRESENTATION SUMMARIES

Conservation Issues in the Library Building
by
Susan Rogers, The Lloyd E. Cotsen Chief Preservation Officer, The Huntington Library

We've spent the morning looking at the big picture with regards to conservation and the design of library buildings. Now let's take a look at the details of the response of the collections materials to the building environment.

We'll talk about:

• Conservation issues & problems
• Conservation standards
• Examples of damage
• Some quick fixes

To get action:

• Remember damage to your collections is your "ammunition."
• Document the damage; take photos

Documenting damage helps to:

• present your "case" for funding
• apply for grant funds
• use OSHA

Looking at costs to the collection:

Almost always higher cost to fix it later.

Best to: Fix it now. Build it correctly initially.

Costs:

• Replacement
• Duplication, digitization, microfilm
• Restrict access or eliminate access
• Phase conservation
• Conservation treatment
• Loss of market value for rare items
• Usually these costs come in pairs/more than one at a time.

Building Access:

• Vermin, mold, insects <-> eaves, doors, screens, weather-stripping, exhaust ducts.
• Inspection of incoming collections, mail packages.
• Acclimatize shipped materials.
• Water <-> ground water & seeps, drainage & gutters, old abandoned piping & standing water, additions/bldg joints & roof leaks

HVAC:

• Air Quality 1) particulates, 2) gases <->filters, adsorption beds
• Temperature/Relative humidity <->
  • In older systems, temp & RH work as opposites
  • 45-50% RH +/- 5%
  • 68 degrees F +/- 5 degrees
• Monitor bldg temp & RH in a central location.
  • Hand monitor/check weekly @ several areas in bldg.
  • Record readings.
• Operate 24 hrs.
• overheating -> efflorescence, drying, insects, chemical catalyst
• high RH -> mold, chemical catalyst to deterioration
• Special systems: photo labs, fume hoods, cold storage
• U-V light in the system can kill molds, bacteria
• Emergency back-up generator in at least 1 area of rare coll.

Plumbing:

• Assume leaks & backups will happen; it's just a matter of degree and location:
  • % of rise in RH
  • how much water?
  • keep records.

• Plumbing is all around you: ceilings, walls, not just restrooms.
• Prevention:
  • air space between walls & shelving
  • regular inspections & maintenance
  • include $ for these inspections/repairs in budget
  • wrap pipes
  • collections location
  • do not store collections materials on floors

Fire:

• Extinguishers, smoke detectors/alarms, sprinklers.
• Regular maintenance and sensitivity checks for detection equipment.
• Informed location of rare materials in relation to elevators, electronics, photocopy, break rooms, etc.
• Fire Doors.
• Ban on the use of space heaters.
• Have plans protected & on-hand for the location of breaker boxes, alarms, smoke detectors, hydrants.
• Neglect can -> high costs of salvage crews, conservation treatment, and loss.

Light:

• Ultra-violet light <-> fades media, hastens paper deterioration acceptable at 75 microwatts/lumen
• Visible light <-> structural/chemical damage to library materials
  • exhibits: 5-7 fc
  • sunlight in the shade = 10,000 fc
• fluorescent: UV filtering sleeves, timed lights, aisle-only lighting
• tungsten: timed lights, aisle lights, fiber-optic
• sun: blinds for 80% to total block-out, UV filtering window film

Furniture:

• Space limitations, cost, usage/specialized functions, earthquake preparedness, exhibit cases.
• Compact shelving, built-ins, braced shelving (to wall, floor & each other), bungee cords, shelving doors.
• Off-gassing:
  • VOC's deteriorate materials
  • use metal cabinets w/powder coat
  • use low VOC carpet, adhesives, trim, upholstery, sealants, paints, woods

Library Disaster Recovery
by
Susan E. Parker, Associate Dean,
University Library, California State University, Northridge

Recent Water Damage

• University of New Orleans, Earl K. Long Library, July, 1998: 900,000 volumes exposed to moisture and mold. Initial $1.56 million for cleanup allocated in emergency legislative session; $1.26 million added in capital outlay budget
• Arkansas State University, Dean B. Ellis Library, July, 1998: 100,000 volumes exposed to moisture and mold. $3,000 cleanup estimated, utilizing staff and students
• Boston Public Library (Main), Copley Square Buildings, August, 1998: 50,000 books and maps; 3 million microfiche; 300,000 government documents; 16mm films; gift books; computers; furniture; electrical circuitry; elevators lost in 3 foot deep flood in basement after city water main burst. $15 million to replace materials; $18 million total
• California State University, Northridge, Delmar T. Oviatt Library, January, 1999: 500,000 books plus archives exposed to direct water incursion during rainstorm. Cleanup costs estimated $100,000 to $500,000; materials replacement costs additional
• National Library of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, February 25, 2000: 2,600 historical territorial publications exposed to water from burst radiator valve. Cleanup costs not yet determined.
• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington National Records Center, Suitland, Maryland, February 29, 2000: 3,000 cubic feet of Federal agency records exposed to fire, smoke, and water from sprinkler system; up to 300 cubic feet destroyed. Cause of fire unknown; cleanup costs not yet known.

Resources

• Kahn, Miriam B. Disaster Response and Planning for Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, 1998. This is among the most thorough of resources to follow for the creation of a disaster response plan, including information on recovery resources and a thorough bibliography.
• New England Document Conservation Center’s web site at http://www.nedcc.org. Pamphlets and advice, plus links to other web sites including FEMA.
• Nyberg, Sandra. Invasion of the Giant Spore. SOLINET Preservation Program Leaflet no. 5. November 1, 1987.
• Stanford University Libraries. Preservation Department. CoOL: conservation On Line. http://palimpsest.stanford.edu. A full text database of preservation information, including articles and pamphlets, with links to newsletters of interest. A section on conservation topics is devoted to mold and mildew.
• University of Toronto. Computer Security Administration Group. Disaster Recovery Planning. Project Plan Outline. http://www.utoronto.ca/security/drp.htm. A superb outline to follow when organizing any disaster recovery project.

Considerations for Disaster Plan

1. Personal Safety: Your facility needs to offer some protection for people against crime, theft, and vandalism. Do you have a security patrol? Is it during the hours the library is open? When it is closed? Are there enough people and staff on each floor to eliminate remote areas? Do you have a well publicized evacuation plan? Hold fire drills? Are building and floor wardens designated within the staff? Do they receive training? Do they know what to do in evacuation emergencies other than fires? What do you need to do to improve personal safety in your building?
2. Physical Security: Is the building secured during and after hours? What kinds of lock and alarm systems do you use? Do you control the keys and codes? Do you have levels of key access using masters and submasters? Do faculty members or others who do not have offices in the library have keys or codes to the library? Are there other offices or departments located in the library building, and do the people working there have different keys and codes? Different hours of operation than the library? Do you have an electronic book detector system? Other exit controls? Entrance controls? Do you have a visible guard at the door? What other highly visible means of security exist? Does the building have windows that can be opened and through which books and people can escape? Do you know who responds when the library coded alarm goes off? What about when the fire alarm goes off? Do others in the library know what to do, whom to call? How do you handle books which are returned with moisture damage and other damage?
3. Environmental Security: The building needs to have proper temperature and humidity control for books and for people. Special Collections, rare books, art, computer facilities, storage facilities, and Technical Services areas may need additional or separate systems. What fire protection exists? Smoke detectors? Sprinklers? Is there adequate ventilation? Where is the air intake for the building and is it segregated from sources of pollution, irritation, odor, dirt, and moisture? If there are windows that open, are these and any other areas secured from rain or other weather? Do you have a disaster response team, a written protocol for the team, and supplies? An ongoing training and update program for the team?

In order to create a disaster response and recovery plan, you need to know the answers to these and others like them.

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Handouts

Facilities Checklist

Preliminary Information:

Name: Librarian/Library _______________________________________

Address/Location _____________________________________________

Site: £ flat £ hillside £ urban £ suburban

• Proximity of adjacent buildings: ___________________________________________________
  adverse/beneficial effects of same _______________________________________________

Date of original construction: _________________ Date(s) of any additions: ________________

Number of floors (above and below grade level): ________ Height floor-to-floor: ____________

• Are there any (small, less than a full floor) floor level changes between building and adjacent tiers or additions? £ Yes £ No

Square footage (per floor, total): _________________

• Overall size (length, width): _________________ and shape of original building footprint (floor plan): _____________

  Overall size (length, width): ________________ and shape of any additions to building footprint (floor plan): ____________________

  Overall size (length, width): _______________ and shape of tier footprint: _________________
  % of each floor plan devoted to tiers: ___________________

  Vertical organization: if multi-story, are floors £ same size £ smaller or £ larger as they go up?

Number of tiers: ___________ height of each tier: ___________

• Are there elevators: £ Yes, located £ center £ side £ in tiers £ elsewhere)? _____________

Type(s) of construction:

Roof: £ tile £ concrete £ shingles £ flat £ sloped £ parapets

Walls: £ stucco £ stone £ brick

Structure: £ steel frame £ concrete frame £ masonry £ wood frame

Hazardous materials: £ asbestos £ lead paint

Previous modernizations, structural improvements: _____________________________

Typical height of shelving: ___________________________________

Location of mechanical rooms relative to materials storage: ___________________

Also note close proximity to materials which may be subject to environmental damage or disaster.

Lighting

• Windows: £ Open
  Have: £ Screens £ Shades £ Blinds £ Curtains
  Trees near windows? £ Yes £ No
  Library materials shelved near windows? £ Yes £ No

  Light fixtures:
  £ Flourescent £ Incandescent
  Materials shelved near fixtures?

HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning)

• Ventilation: £ Filters? If so, are they clean? £ Yes £ No
  Library materials shelved near vents? £ Yes £ No

  Heating: Is it on? (i.e. does it work)
  £ Yes £ No
  Too hot? £ Yes £ No
  Materials shelved near heating vents? £ Yes £ No

  Air conditioning: Is it on? (i.e. does it work) £ Yes £ No
  Library materials shelved near air vents? £ Yes £ No

Plumbing (and other sources of water)

• Restrooms
  Location: £ Over material storage £ Next to material storage (i.e. sinks and/or toilets on wall behind storage)

  Drinking fountains
  Location: £ Over material storage £ Next to material storage
  £ Behind material storage

  ---

  Break/Lunch room
  Location: £ Over material storage £ Next to material storage
  £ Behind material storage

  Custodial Closets
  Location: £ Over material storage £ Next to material storage
  £ Behind material storage

Other sources of water

• Ground: Adequate Drainage
  £ Yes £ No

  Roof: Adequate drainage
  £ Yes £ No

  Gutters: £ exterior £ interior £ both

  Any unusual drainage problems:
  £ flooding during heavy rains £ concealed leaks
  £ indeterminate leak source
  £ leaks in below grade areas

Electrical

• Outlets: £ In close proximity to books
  £ Adequate for electrical load

Fire Protection

£ Smoke detectors

• £ Sprinklers

Type of sprinkler: £ wet pipe

• £ delayed action
  Distribution: £ stacks only £ whole building

£ Extinguishers

Furnishings

Shelving: £ Built in £ Anchored

Electrical devices (i.e. photocopying machines, space heaters, etc.) £ near books and other materials

Notes

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