The recovery of water-damaged books at the college of physicians of philadelphia

Christine Ruggere, Elliot H. Morse

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A large medical library which owns an important rare book collection was threatened with a major disaster by the combination of an unusually heavy rainfall and a defective roof. Through the assistance and advice of many individuals and government agencies, the destruction of a major portion of the library was averted. The steps taken to salvage the over 4,000 water-damaged books, to protect the rest of the collection, to process the dried books, and to determine the most appropriate methods for their repair are all described. The technical innovations in the treatment of water-damaged books, especially the process of vacuum freeze-drying, are responsible for the complete recovery of 99.08% of the water- damaged collection.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)23-28
Number of pages6
JournalLibrary and Archival Security
Volume3
Issue number3-4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1982
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Safety Research
  • Library and Information Sciences
  • Law

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