Yale Bulletin and Calendar

August 29, 2003|Volume 32, Number 1|Two-Week Issue

Conservator Gisela Noack inspects some of the books from the Law Library that were recently removed from the freezer in the first phase of the preservation process.

Damaged law books are taken out of a deep freeze

When the books damaged in the Law School explosion in May finally came out of the deep freeze on Aug. 19, Yale's book preservationists took the occasion to stage a kind of "infomercial" explaining the science and art of their profession to the press.

Following the explosion, which ruptured a water main and flooded hundreds of books in the Law School library, a preservationist team led by Roberta Pilette worked through the night to get the legal tomes into the freezer. Freezing the books is only the first stage in the recovery process, explained Gisela Noack, who is chief conservator in the preservation department, which serves Yale's vast library collections. Freezing prevents mold from forming and stops further deterioration of the affected materials, Noack told members of the media. Putting new acquisitions into the deep freeze to kill any pests they may be harboring is, incidentally, a routine practice at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Since not all the books were damaged to the same extent in the Law School explosion, and since the particular composition of their bindings and pages -- most were rag-paper, though some were vellum -- determined the treatment they would require, putting them all on "hold" through freezing was most of all a delaying tactic, Noack said.

On the night of the May 22 explosion, Noack and Pilette agreed, there was hardly time to figure out what to do with each of the roughly 500 damaged books -- most from the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the books now out of the deep freeze will be freeze dried, like coffee, to remove all moisture, but some will be allowed to thaw and dry out slowly, Noack said.

The good news, said the preservationists, is that none of the books harmed as a result of the explosion were among the rare volumes in the Law Library collections. As a result of the work of the preservation team, all of the books that were damaged will eventually be returned to the shelves only a little the worse for their ordeal.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

A Message to the Yale Community

Refurbished Sprague Memorial Hall is an 'architectural . . . triumph'

Concerts celebrate the reopening of Sprague Hall

Professorship honors memory of Donald Cohen

Damaged law books are taken out of a deep freeze

Renowned neuroscientist Patricia Goldman-Rakic dies

Exhibit offers look at ancient forms of life on Earth

Wildfire costs are higher than accounted for, report charges

Computer-generated designs featured in architecture gallery

Artist's works portray Christianity through Thai art forms

Exhibit explores influences on American furniture design

Women veterans are found to be at higher risk for homelessness

Day of Caring drive will put books into hands of area children

Documentary on contemporary artists to be screened on campus

Alumni group supports students' summer service

Quest camera will aid scientists in astronomical research

Grant to Child Study Center supports evaluation of home-based care

Historian Jaroslav Pelikan is honored for contributions

Former Law School dean honored with the Fleming Award

'What Is a Good Death?' among topics of Bioethics Project programs