Protocols regarding food and drink in rare book collections

[Suzy Taraba <staraba@wesleyan.edu>]

Special Collections (or rare books) librarians are faced with constant
balancing acts between preservation and promotion.  This true everywhere,
not just at Duke, where I worked from 1986-1993.  (Hi, Micaela!)  To my
mind, the balancing act is not a bad thing.  By hosting events, the Special
Collections department raises its visibility with the institution's
administration, with donors or potential donors, and with the community, in
addition to the more traditional faculty and student clientele.  Special
Collections depends on a certain level of visibility for survival -- it's
very difficult to justify keeping a collection of rare books that has a low
profile.  Special events in Special Collections raise this profile, often
with people who can do something (financial or administrative) to help
support Special Collections.

Of course it is essential that no one is eating or drinking around rare
books that are not protected by bookcases or exhibit cases and that careful
cleaning is done when the event is over.  Crumbs left behind might well
attract unpleasant visitors.  But I agree with Jeff Kaimowitz that the
changes in temperature and humidity caused by events are generally too
minor to worry about.  Clearly, it's important to be sure that the steam
table isn't set up right next to a case of books, but with reasonable
climate control, the rest shouldn't cause much serious fluctuation.

These days, as the head of a Special Collections department, I worry much
more about what happens when Special Collections becomes invisible than
about the preservation hazards of special events.  I firmly believe that
libraries have a responsibility to make their holdings and facilities known
and to encourage their use in a variety of ways.   The special events with
visiting dignitaries and even occasional steam tables are one means of
"preserving" rare materials so that they are available for use by faculty
and students.

That's my two cents worth.






Suzy Taraba
University Archivist and
Head of Special Collections
Special Collections & Archives 
Olin Library
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT 06459

Tel.:(860) 685-3375
Fax: (860) 685-2661

e-mail: staraba@wesleyan.edu