Preservation Nightmare- Library Dumps Entire Collection

The board of Lenawee County Library in Michigan has voted to dispose of the entire collection of its Ridgeway branch where over 6000 books and 2000 magazines have been destroyed by mold.

The library, built in the 1880’s, did not have heat, air conditioning, or running water for the last five years!

“There was a hole in the roof where a chimney had been…squirrels and mice had gotten in, and the books were covered with two and three different colors of mold.” said Teresa Calderone, who has been the director of the library system since August 1.

There was a little bit of resistance to the board’s decision, very little. You see only about 15 people used the library and most were from the same family!

This is Twin Peaks stuff.

Article at the American Library Association
Piece in the The Daily Telegram of Lenawee County