Establishing an Environmental Monitoring Program for Collections

FAIN: PG-51170-11

Goucher College (Baltimore, MD 21204-2753)
Melissa Straw (Project Director: May 2010 to September 2012)

The purchase and installation of environmental monitoring equipment for the college's library collections storage areas based on recommendations from a previous preservation assessment. The circulating collection includes some 350,000 volumes, serials, and microforms, while the special collections and archives hold a rare book collection with titles in antebellum slavery, history of dance and costume, children's literature, and Baltimoreana, as well as historical travel guides and works by major American and English writers.

As part of an ongoing commitment for the stewardship of its circulating collections as well as that of the Special Collections and Archives, Goucher College Library would like to establish an environmental monitoring program for the various collection storage areas within its building. Goucher College Library has recently completed a move into a new facility and hired its first Director of Library Preservation. The next step in establishing appropriate preservation practices for the future is to understand the impact of the environment on the library's collections. The activities of the grant will cover a twelve-month period in order to purchase the equipment necessary to track the temperature and relative humidity of collection storage areas. After a year of comprehensive data, new policies can be developed regarding heating and cooling systems made with the cooperation of college Facilities and Management Services.