The May Hill Arbuthnot book collection, housed within the Reinberger Children's Library Center, underwent a preservation assessment focusing on its environmental conditions and storage practices. Key findings highlighted the need for a disaster response plan, improved fire protection measures, and mold remediation strategies, along with recommendations for better storage solutions. Overall, the collection is in moderately good condition but requires several actions to prevent further degradation and ensure its longevity.

1. Laura Levy
LIS 60654
Preservation Assessment
Assessment of the May Hill Arbuthnot Book Collection
Introduction
The May Hill Arbuthnot Book Collection is located in the Pris and JDub’s Book
Nook within the Reinberger Children’s Library Center (RCLC). The Reinberger
Children’s Library Center is comprised of two sections, the Reinberger Library and the
Marantz Picturebook Collection. The RCLC opened in 2003 after receiving $240,000 in
grants from the Reinberger Foundation of Cleveland. A further expansion added
additional rooms, including the Pris and JDub’s Book Nook where the collection is
currently held.
The RCLC employs a full-time Director (Michelle Baldini), a part-time cataloguer
(Nan Garrison), and two graduate assistants during the fall and spring semesters, and a
student worker over the summer. There are intermittent volunteers and research
fellows that are also involved in the RCLC.
Tools & Methodology
The analysis was completed using the CALIPR tool to gather data and Assessing
Preservation Needs (Patkus, 2003). Of the 300 books that are part of the Arbuthnot
Collection I surveyed 102 titles. The materials were handled with clean, dry hands, per
the Director’s instruction. I chose to remove the books from the bookshelf a few at a

2. time, taking care to pull them from the shelf by the middle of the spine, as pulling a book
by the top will increase wear and degradation of the book spine. The books are stored
on a wooden bookshelf with some type of lacquer applied to the surface. There are 6
shelves in total on the bookcase and each shelf contained an average of 50 books. I
recorded each book into CALIPR, recording the author, title, imprint, and the books
condition. While opening the book to the title page to locate the imprint and author I
made sure to open the book at a 45-degree angle if possible, to prevent pressure on the
spine and binding of the book. After recording, the books were returned to their place
on the shelf. I chose to assess this collection since it was smaller than the entire
Marantz collection and would have some preservation/conservation concerns due to the
age of the books that were surveyed, most titles were from the 20’s – 50’s and had
been through several hands, including time on a school shelf.
Preservation Environment & Storage Conditions
There are a few environmental and storage issues that may lead to an
accelerated pace of the degradation of the books in the collection. The Arbuthnot
Collection is housed in a closed and locked room within the Marantz Collection, which is
accessible only to key staff and visitors that are escorted by staff. The books are placed
on wooden shelves and are stored in vertically with spines facing outwards. A small
portion of the books, under 10, are stored spine down due to their large size preventing
the preferred storage method.
The library building consists of 12 floors and a basement and the Arbuthnot
collection is housed on the 3rd floor of the main structure. The HVAC in the library is
controlled by building maintenance staff. There are individual controls that are located

3. within the Marantz Collection and the RCLC, but to change the settings, someone from
the maintenance department must come and manually change the programmed setting.
The HVAC system also dehumidifies as it processes the air, and the Arbuthnot
Collection seems to spend most of its time in the range of 72 – 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
Inside the Book Nook there is one vent located above the door and about 10 -12 inches
from the bookshelf that holds the collection. During my time in the space I did not feel
or notice any moving air from the HVAC system, but I wasn’t able to reach up to the
vent because of height constraints and not wanting to stand on an unstable chair with
wheels.
No food or drink is permitted within the Marantz Collection area, especially not in
the Book Nook. The graduate assistants are responsible for emptying the trash
collected in the RCLC and Marantz, but there isn’t a trash can in the Book Nook, so
food sources for pests are limited to the books themselves, but there was no sign of any
infestations in the Book Nook. There is signs of pest presence in the main portion of the
Marantz section in the form of a live ladybug or a ladybug carcass every few weeks.
From my research online, I found that ladybugs don’t consume paper or other book
materials, they are strictly insectivores that feast on aphids (Rogers, 2007).
The light sources that affect the Arbuthnot collection are limited to an overhead
fluorescent light and a small covered desk lamp on an adjacent desk. The overhead
lights are controlled by a motion sensor timer and will shut off after a set amount of time.
There is no direct or indirect light that comes from outdoors, but there is a glass window
that will allow the lights in the hallway to shine onto the collection. The collection is
mostly in the dark for the night and a lot of the day time periods.

4. Collection Analysis
I evaluated 1/3 of the collection and found some areas of strength and some
minor weaknesses that should be addressed in the collection. The CALIPR report
(located in Appendix A) showed that a disaster response plan and a fire suppression
system were of the most importance to the preservation of the collection. The RCLC
has a disaster plan but it is not easily accessible and the KSU library has an incredibly
outdated one (from early 2000’s) that doesn’t even reference the important collections in
the Marantz on the priority list for saving collections if possible. A fire suppression
system is not in place in the Book Nook, there are no sprinklers in the room, but there
are alarms, and a fire hose located within the Marantz section.
CALIPR also reported that 18% of the collection required conservation in order to
maintain its use. This is due to the minor damage that some of the collection has in the
way of tears or spine damage to the books. There was also a smell of mold or mildew
that emanated from the books in the collection, which wasn’t noted in the CALIPR
report. The report also determined that 2% of the collection most likely required
protective enclosures for the books in order to protect them from further degradation,
which amounts to 7 texts.
Some things to note about the analysis are that every book was marked as low
use and high value. This collection is irreplaceable due to the personal inscriptions in
the books, and the notes enclosed with some of the books. The Arbuthnot Collection is
not used very frequently which adds to the longevity of the collection. Overall, I would
say that the collection is in moderately good condition, especially regarding major
reconstruction issues.

5. Recommendations for preservation
In order to preserve the Arbuthnot Collection, I would recommend changes
regarding fire protection, disaster planning, mold remediation, and storage changes.
Fire is a risk that any building has, and while there are extinguishers and alarms and
hoses in the building, those can cause damage to the collection. Considering budget
and feasibility, installing a fireproof, climate-controlled vault would not be practical.
However, there are some fireproof cabinets that cost around $3,000, but are still
susceptible to water damage from fire control. There are some fire extinguishers that
only use CO2 instead of other chemicals or water. These CO2 extinguishers seem to
be more effective at preventing damage to books but can cause a fine powder to remain
on the exposed surfaces. I recommend the following:
1. CO2 extinguishers if books are covered in plastic covers or contained inside
plastic bags.
2. Speaking to the fire safety team on campus and pricing a gas suppression
system for the small Book Nook.
For disaster planning purposes there are a few areas of concern. Many of the
employees in the entire KSU library were unaware of the existence of a disaster plan.
The plans that do exist are outdated and inaccurate, including team members that no
longer work in the building. The Marantz Collection is also left off the “important items
to save” priority list. I recommend the following:

6. 1. Re-evaluate the needs of the collection regarding disaster prep and recovery,
utilizing the ALA resources (located in Appendix B) to assist with areas that
are difficult to plan for.
2. Contact your supervisor and express concerns about the lack of an updated
library-wide disaster plan.
3. Ensure that copies of the disaster plan are clearly posted or available to any
staff members that work in the area, and anyone that needs special training
receives it in a timely manner.
Mold is an unfortunate substance to have in a collection of books. The Arbuthnot
Collection did not have any signs of active mold, but there was an odor that suggested
the books were exposed to a humid environment at some point during its existence.
Lower humidity helps contain the spread of mold and there are some solutions for
removing the mold/mildew odor that do not cause harm to the books. I recommend the
following:
1. If possible, lower the humidity in the Book Nook, possibly with the use of a
dehumidifier.
2. Identify the books in the collection that are obviously covered in mold spores
or residue or those that emit a particularly strong odor compared to the
others. I would recommend isolating them in plastic bags to prevent the odor
from infiltrating the other texts.
3. Using Microchamber Interleaving papers in the books is an inexpensive way
to remove the odor from the books. It can be purchased in bulk for less than

7. $100 and would protect the collection as the sheets are used in random
pages in the books.
Improper storage also contributes to the degradation of a book collection. The
Arbuthnot has a good storage system now, but there is room for improvement in the
type of storage and method of storage. I recommend the following:
1. Replacing the wooden bookshelf with a metal bookcase with proper dividers,
or a cabinet with doors to prevent the collection from being exposed to as
much light as possible.
2. Adding plastic covers to the books that have damaged spines or covers.
3. Removing the summary cards that are placed in some of the books first few
pages. The ink from the typewritten cards and the paperclips that are on
some of them can further damage the books. The summary cards could be
placed into an acid-free storage box after being photographed and logged.
4. Reformatting some of the more fragile books in the collection may be helpful if
the goal is to preserve the text and images within the book rather than the
physical book itself.
I hope that you found these suggestions useful in keeping the Arbuthnot
Collection safe from degradation and damage. As a novice in preservation, my goal
with this report was to address some of the concerns that appeared during my
evaluation of the collection. I recognize how familiar you are with the collection and how
much more goes into enacting changes than just waving a magic wand and having
unlimited funds and resources. Thank you for the opportunity to examine the collection,
it is an impressive peek into the children’s literature of that era.

8. Appendix A
Statistical Analysis Document
CALIPR: Preservation Needs Assessment Software
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/preservation/CALIPR/
CalPreservation.org
Helping preserve libraries and archives
Preservation Needs Assessment Report
on the Mary Hill Arbuthnot COLLECTION of
Print Materials in the
Marantz Collection Kent State University
7/22/2018
Overview of the report
The need for continued access to a collection is the primary reason to devote institutional
resources to its preservation. The relationship between access and preservation is symbiotic:
access justifies preservation, and preservation enables access.
Addressing the preservation needs of the collection protects institutional assets by reducing risks
of loss. For many libraries and archives, the loss of significant portions of the collection to fire or
water damage, for example, would threaten their ability to continue to provide service. For some
libraries, a major benefit of appropriate preservation actions is to protect the investment made in
building the collection; the collection perhaps could be replaced, but not without great expense.
In either instance, key preservation actions are cost effective means to reduce risk of loss.
This report identifies preservation actions that need to be taken to maintain access to the Mary
Hill Arbuthnot collection. Based on a sample of 103 items randomly selectedfrom the collection,
the CALIPR software has estimated the number of items in the collection in need of preservation
actions and has arranged the actions in priority order for implementation.
The accuracy of the estimates of the number of items in need of preservation is determined by
the size of the sample and the accuracy of the data provided on the size of the collection from
which the sample was drawn. For this report, the sample yielded a confidence level of 95%
within a range of +/-10% from the estimate. Estimates of this degree of confidence usually are
adequate for decision-making on allocation of preservation resources.
CALIPR presents four perspectives fromwhich address the preservation needs of the collection.
They range from a comprehensive view of the needs of the whole collection to a tightly focused
view on the needs of the parts of the collection most in demand and highest in value:
1. the needs of the whole collection
2. the needs of only the high value materials
3. the needs of only the materials currently in demand
4. the needs of only the high value materials in demand
Graphically, the perspectives can be represented as a Venn diagram:

9. Costs for implementation of preservation actions will vary by type of action and number of
materials involved. Some preservation actions identified by CALIPR likely would be implemented
for the whole collection, like writing a collection disaster response and salvage plan or perhaps
installing an automatic fire protection system. Evaluating these actions for subsets of the
collection rather than for the collection as a whole may not lead to lower costs for
implementation.
Other actions, however, are specific to each itemin the collection, like repairing damaged
materials or making individual protective enclosures. The costs of implementing these actions is
directly proportional to the number of materials in need. For these actions, costs can be
controlled by focusing on subsets ("perspectives") of the collection to stretch limited resources.
Perspective 1, the needs of the Whole Collection, is the most comprehensive view of the scope
and scale of collection needs. It is the most useful perspective for long-range planning and the
most expensive to address.
Perspectives 2 and 3, High Value Materials and Materials in Demand, apply only to portions of
the collection, thus providing opportunities to choose one or the other group of materials as a
means to get started with preservation programming at less cost than addressing the needs of
the whole collection.
In Perspective 4, High Value Materials in Demand, CALIPR identifies the preservation actions
most important and most urgent to the institution. For many institutions, the ability to continue
to provide access to its High Value Materials in Demand is essential to ongoing service and
consequently becomes the highest priority for implementation. Targeting resources to meet the
needs of High Value Materials in Demand will yield the greatest possible benefit for resources
allocated to preservation and the lowest overall cost because it includes the fewest materials
among all four Perspectives.
Needs assessment survey results
Preservation actions for Whole Collection (Perspective 1) in priority order:
1. A disaster response and collection recovery plan is required for 100% of the
collection, an estimated 350 items. If the institution does not have a written disaster
response and salvage plan for the collections, CALIPR assigns this action the top priority
among preservation actions for two reasons. First, a written plan provides protection for
the entire collection: guiding staff to take appropriate actions expeditiously following a
disaster minimizes collection losses. Second, preparing a written plan is the lowest cost
preservation action a library or archive can take; when prepared in conjunction with a

10. good training course, a staff member assigned to prepare a plan customized to meet
institutional needs can do it in less than one week's time (often spread out over several
weeks in order to gather needed information).
2. Fire protection is required for 100% of the collection, an estimated 350
items. Libraries and archives are unexpectedly prone to fire, in significant part because
they are a favored target for arson, and in part because their collections are largely made
up of flammable materials. National statistics in the USA on library fires, for example,
document a fire every 1.5 days, often accompanied by significant losses to collections.
Automatic fire suppression systems, including water-based systems, are highly
recommended for protection of collections because wet materials usually can be salvaged
whereas burned materials often suffer total loss.
3. Conservation treatment is required for 18% of the whole collection, an
estimated 63 items. Conservation treatment is the action recommended for damaged
historical materials in the collection that should be maintained in original format for as
long as possible. Conserving materials in original format often is not as economical as
replacing or reformatting to capture the information, but in some instances the original
format is legally required because it authenticates the document, provides additional
information about the manufacture of the document (e.g., the ink or paper), has
aesthetic value (e.g., an early bookbinding), or has association value (e.g., the personal
copy of a famous personage).
4. Protective enclosures are required for 2% of the whole collection, an estimated
7 items. This action is designed to offer protection to materials in the collection too
damaged or deteriorated to be repaired, but which have significant historical value so
cannot readily be replaced, if at all. By making individual protective enclosures for
damaged and fragile historically important materials, the institution can continue to
provide access to users, usually under supervised conditions.
The same information for all four perspectives is shown in the tables below; note that there are
differences in priorities depending on the perspective, differences in percentage of collection
needing the action, as well differences in the numbers of items needing actions.
Whole Collection (Perspective 1)
Preservation action and priority % of coll. est. number of items
1 Disaster response plan 100 350
2 Automatic fire protection 100 350
3 Conservation treatment 18 63
4 Protective enclosures 2 7
High Value Materials (Perspective 2)

11. Preservation action and priority % of coll. est. number of items
1 Disaster response plan 100 350
2 Automatic fire protection 100 350
3 Conservation treatment 18 63
4 Protective enclosures 2 7
Materials in Demand (Perspective 3)
Preservation action and priority % of coll. est. number of items
High Value Materials in Demand (Perspective 4)
Preservation action and priority % of coll. est. number of items
The estimated numbers of items in need of preservation actions represented by the High Value
Materials in Demand perspective usually are many less than for the other perspectives, providing
the library or archive an opportunity to determine a baseline scale of preservation actions
required to meet essential services.
Follow up to the Report
With an assessment of preservation needs in hand, the next step is to work with a preservation
expert to evaluate solutions appropriate for the institution and to cost themout at the scale of
institutional need. The California Preservation Program (http://calpreservation.org), funded by
the California State Library, provides preservation expertise and assistance to all California
libraries and archives to help ensure the survival of the State’s documentary heritage. Request
assistance by sending a request to info@calpreservation.org. One of the librarians and archivists
participating in the California Preservation Program will respond to your request for assistance
from a preservation expert in the needs of your collection.
The California Preservation Program also conducts workshops for library and archives staff on
preparing collection disaster response and salvage plans several times/year throughout
California. Check the website (http://calpreservation.org) for information on dates and locations
for upcoming training workshops.
Appendix
Detailed information is provided below on the number of responses to each question on the
sample survey by type of format (i.e., book, document, photo, other). This information provides
a more complete picture of the data compiled by CALIPR and enables preservation actions to be
costed out more accurately.
Number of yes/no responses to all survey questions by format (Sample size: 103 items)
Book Document Photo Other Total
Survey
question
# yes # no # yes # no # yes # no # yes # no # yes # no
High use? 0 103 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103

12. Automatic fire
protection
system?
0 103 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103
Environmental
conditions
meet
standards?
103 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103 0
Missing parts
or pages?
1 102 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 102
Broken into
pieces?
19 84 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 84
Deteriorated
text/image?
1 102 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 102
Only copy in
service area?
100 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 3
Significant
historical
value?
103 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103 0
Part of a
comprehensive
collection?
103 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103 0
If lost or
rendered
unusable,
replace if
possible?
0 103 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 103

13. Appendix B
Annotated Resource List
ALA (24 July 2006). Disaster preparedness and recovery. Retrieved from American
Library Association website:
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/govinfo/disasterpreparedness
This website offers a list of sources to use when preparing or editing a disaster
plan for your library. The ALA used federal policies to guide their inclusion of
certain sections and materials, which ensures that use of this site will help
produce a comprehensive disaster plan.
Patkus, B. (2003). Assessing Preservation Needs. Andover, Mass: Northeast Document
Conservation Center.
This resource provides a basic guide to evaluating your collection and its
preservation needs. As a resource it is easy to use and provides explanations
for the why and how of evaluating a collection.
NDCC (2012) 4.1 Storage and handling for books and artifacts on paper [PDF File].
Retrieved from https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-
leaflets/overview
This resource provides information on the proper handling and storage of paper
materials, including books and unbound papers. Readers will find this source
useful in creating a handbook for employee instruction or to assess the current
holdings of materials.

14. Tomalak, A. (2012) Simple paper repairs. New Bookbinder. 32, pp. 31-38. Retrieved
from
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.kent.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2
&sid=605f2c81-4830-4197-9ebf-0109074e5e3b%40sessionmgr104
This article instructs readers on how to make repairs to damaged paper items.
This is a great article to help with in-house repairs that may cost much more to
outsource to a private company.