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. Once the spores are killed they need to be brushed and vacuumed off. Proper precautions should be taken during this process such as wearing clothing protection and a particle mask. Your vacuum should be equipped with a HEPA filter. No matter how well you clean these books there will still be some spores left behind. Mold forms because of high humidity conditions. If the books are then placed back into the same storage conditions with high humidity, the mold can reoccur. You may have to use a dehumidifer to reduce the relative humidity to 55% or below. Good air circulation also reduces the chance for mold growth. If your bookcases are against an exterior wall, rising damp in the wall may be exacerbating your problem. If it is possible to pull the bookcases away from the wall slightly, relocate them to an interior wall or ventilate them somehow, this should help reduce the humidity. Spreading the books out so that they are not so tightly packed together can help as well. Sincerely, David Ryan Registrar Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum www.cspm.org ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).