University Library

Following an earthquake and subsequent water intrusion, mold growth on thousands of water-damaged library books required MARCOR's expertise for cleanup and preservation.

Project Details

• Client: University Library
• Contaminant: Mold
• Regulatory Agencies: EPA
• Contract Value: $334,215

Related Services

• Disaster Recovery

Background

A university library suffered extensive damage from a 6.7-magnitude earthquake. The library shelving survived undamaged, but almost all books (approximately 600,000) fell to the floor. The library's automated book storage and retrieval system suffered severe water damage and subsequent mold growth due to roof leaks and reconstruction activities for the building's east wing, situated above it. Subsequently, the affected books were submerged in water-filled holding bins in order to preserve them until remedial actions could be undertaken.

MARCOR was retained to perform the mold remediation project. In order to perform the work, MARCOR technicians learned the complicated computer retrieval system, which they combined with knowledge gained from a class taught by a certified document preservationist. They were also given the task of fulfilling students' book request orders as they were entered into the computer system, as well as returning books to the automated system

The work environment was managed via use of negative air machines fitted with HEPA filters, and all of the make-up air was filtered through the pleated filter with enhanced surface capture technology.

MARCOR utilized modified HEPA filtration vacuums with fine-hair brushes to preserve text. Additionally, a book damage tracking system was created to simplify the decision to destroy books that were severely mold damaged to a point of being non-repairable.

This project was successfully completed on schedule and to the full satisfaction of the client.

For additional information, call MARCOR's corporate headquarters at 1-800-547-0128 or send email to info@marcor.com.