Hi Folks,

Please forgive cross-postings.

Sort of Halloween-themed! Our Juneau City Hall has a stinky old vault where old city documents are kept. Old leather-bound journals of tax rolls, city meeting notes in plastic binders, audiotapes, etc. The 10'X 15' room is all concrete with thick walls, a big heavy door...typical old bank vault. Probably dates from the late 1950s or early 60s. No carpet, just bare concrete walls and floor, some wooden shelves and some metal filing cabinets. No obvious moisture. Employees and their union complain of a strong musty "old book" smell, and attribute respiratory and eye problems to the smell in the vault. The vault is opened only briefly every day, since there are three people who work near it and complain of the odor. Attempts to air it out or find a source of obvious mold or moisture have failed, as has an attempt to put an ozone generator in the vault for a couple of weekends. They are now asking my museum for ideas. I'm checking to see if my colleagues have suggestions or had similar experiences.

Thanks very much!

Ellen Carrlee

Curator of Collections and Exhibits

Juneau-Douglas City Museum

Private Objects Conservator