DISASTER RESPONSE

Library Materials

Disaster Response Kit

Insects

Mold

Water

DISASTER RESPONSE:
Insects

If you find insects in your collections, please contact Preservation Services immediately at 617-253-5282.

PROTOCOL FOR HANDLING AN INSECT INFESTED BOOK:

1. Put on plastic gloves
2. Put infested item in ziplock bag
3. Seal bag and bring to Preservation Services
4. Wash hands
5. Inspect area for other evidence of insects

All supplies (gloves, bags, etc.) are available from Preservation Services.

Insects can cause significant damage to library and archival collections such as tunneling through books, leaving droppings on pages, and eating parts of both cloth and leather bindings. Additionally, the presence of insects in our Libraries often indicates other problems with the building envelope or housekeeping, such as excessive moisture, dust, or food crumbs.

In treating insect infestations, we must consider both the safety of human occupants of a space and the collections that are housed in that space. The most current thinking in the preservation community on the topic is called Integrated Pest Management or IPM. An IPM strategy minimizes the conditions that insects prefer. For more information on IPM please go to http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf311.htm.