The Health Science Center Libraries began treatment for a mold infestation Tuesday.
Librarians discovered the mold growth on the first floor's general collection Oct. 10 and have been scrambling to contain and eliminate it as soon as possible, said Beth Layton, interim director of the Health Science Center Libraries.
The first floor can still be used as a study area, but all the books have been removed to be sucked clean with high-efficiency particulate air vacuums and wiped down with antimicrobial solution.
"If someone needs something on the first floor, they are unfortunately out of luck," Layton said.
Access to the journal collection on the second and third floors is restricted to staff.
The staff wants to minimize further contamination by limiting traffic and bringing article requests downstairs themselves.
"From a health standpoint, unless you have a sensitivity, the mold should not be a problem," she said.
Layton added that if a staff member has a sensitivity to the mold, that person would not be expected to go.
Munters, an outside company that specializes in humidity control, estimated it will take five days to clear out the infestation.
The company believes the mold was brought on by excessive humidity after heavy rainfall the previous weekend, Gerald Kidney, assistant vice president for Health Affairs, said in a statement released Friday.
Kidney said the environmental levels have been adjusted so that the spread of the mold will not continue.
Layton said the library plans to get a remote-control device to test the humidity periodically on its own, similar to the devices used in Smathers Library's Preservation Department.
In the meantime, the library plans to keep people informed with signs around the building, updates on the Health Science Center listserv and information posted on its Web site.
Layton said she expects that after remediation, the library will be reopened and it will be like it never happened.
"A library is like an iceberg," Layton said. "All you see is not all that goes on."
