J-school collection off limits because of health concerns.



Mold spores have damaged books in the temporary basement location of the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Journalism School Library, and access has been restricted because of health concerns.

Christian Basi, a spokesman for the MU, said the library staff discovered mold growing "on a lot of books" about 10 days ago. It’s unclear at this point the extent of the damage and whether any books would have to be replaced or destroyed, Basi said.

The library is closed for now as staff members assess the damage and clean up the problem. Basi said they were using a vacuum cleaner equipped with a special filter to remove mold from each book.

A faulty air conditioner and high humidity contributed to the mold growth, Basi said. Mold can grow on any organic material given the right conditions of air and moisture. The inhalation of mold spores can cause health problems such as allergic reactions, asthma and other respiratory ailments.

"For the protection of the books and because of concern about public health, the library has restricted access to that area until they fully assess the damage and see if there are books that can be saved," Basi said.

More than half of the school’s collection of 40,000 books was moved to the basement of the Neff Annex in May 2005 for the renovation of Walter Williams Hall, where the library was located. Other volumes were placed in storage. The new library is expected to open next year.

Jim Cogswell, MU library director, was unavailable for comment today.

Dennis Elmore, the campus manager of occupational safety and industrial hygiene, has been consulted on the problem. He has advised people attempting to clean the books to wear protective equipment.

"We are mainly interested in the human health aspects," Elmore said. "The folks handling the books need to take general precautions."

Elmore said that during his inspection of the library, he found books where mold was barely visible, but other volumes were covered in a "fuzzy mass" where the problem was obvious. Basi said the air conditioning problem has been fixed and that there are plans to reopen the stacks within a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, Basi said, patrons can borrow books through several other library lending programs. Those wishing to borrow books can call the Journalism Library for advice (882-7502) or the Ellis Library Reference Desk (882-4581). Other library books can be found through Merlin, MOBIUS or inner-library loan facilities at these Web sites: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu or http://mobius.missouri.edu/screens/opacmenu.html.
 
 

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