The library’s battle with mold comes to a close, books begin to circulate

In  Sept. 2020, a mold outbreak was discovered on the bottom floor of the Sandor Teszler Library. Nearly the entire physical collection of books was moved to the bottom floor the year prior, so the finding resulted in a halt in the circulation of the books, since every row contained some amount of mold.

The library staff and administrators quickly responded to the situation by alerting other facilities and having placed multiple dehumidifiers placed in the bottom floor. 

“We were able to stabilize the environment quickly, which helped to prevent further spread of the mold back in the fall,” Lisa Roberts, dean of the library said. “Now that the mold has been removed, we are taking concrete steps to address the conditions in the room so that we don’t have a repeat outbreak.”

These responses to the problem proved to eventually solve the mold crisis. Roberts spoke of her excitement in announcing the conclusion of a process that took multiple months. “I’m happy to report that the remediation effort has been completed, and we are able to circulate books once again,” Roberts said. 

She also tipped her hat to the individuals involved in eradicating the mold.

“We worked with a remediation specialist who cleaned each individual book, treated every surface in the room, and then scrubbed the air,” Roberts said.” The work was done professionally and thoroughly, and the air quality was confirmed by an independent industrial hygienist. We are pleased with the quality of their work. The transformation is truly remarkable!”

Roberts also said that steps are being made to prevent a future mold outbreak. 

“Facilities has been working with an engineer to design a solution to the humidity problem. We expect that this solution should be installed and operational in May.” Roberts said. 

Roberts stated that the combination of sanitizing the area, controlling humidity levels, and improving air circulation will contribute to a safe environment for the collections.

All of the previously contaminated areas are now safe to access. Yet, the library is continuing contactless delivery of the books and DVD’s for students out of caution for the coronavirus. The book stacks room remains locked indefinitely, but students do have access to the Accessibility and Testing Services near the base of the stairs.