I haven't been following this thread, I figured David Harvey would speak to it.

You should talk to a book conservator if these books are of any value.

I would absolutely NOT NOT NOT put them in the sun. The sun will 
yellow and embrittle the paper, fade the ink, affect the binding 
materials, etc.

Bag and freeze, yes.

Vacuum with HEPA or brush off outside or in a well-ventilated area, yes.

The absolute best thing is to isolate these things from the rest of 
your collection so that the spores don't spread. And to control 
moisture and humidity to prevent their growth.

Unless these things are really irreplaceable, they pose a great risk 
to other items in your collection and it may just be better to just 
get rid of them.

If these are valuable or their information irreplaceable, talk to a 
book conservator. Possibly control the mold for now and scan them and 
then pitch the originals.

Check out the Northeast Document Conservation Center's or SOLINET's 
Web site for help on mold & mildew on books.

http://www.nedcc.org

---Amy West (book conservation neophyte)



>Date:    Thu, 26 Jan 2006 09:58:08 -0500
>From:    David Ryan <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: mold inside books
>
>Hi Kendra,
>You should not have your volunteers continue to catalog these books
>without dealing with the mold first.  Certain molds are dangerous to
>breathe in and can cause severe allergic reactions as well.
>Freezing will not kill the mold.  It will only prevent its spread and
>postpone your problem to a later date.
>We use sunlight to kill mold.  If it is possible in your climate, place
>the open books in the sun for several hours.

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