[URBAN NOTE] "How six undergrads saved U of T’s rare books"
The Toronto Star's Ellen Brait reports on how first-year engineering students at the University of Toronto came up with a solution to save the books of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.
When 750,000 volumes of rare books are imperiled by condensation, it’s time to think outside the building.
Since at least 2004, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library - which houses books including all four of Shakespeare’s folios and a papyrus from the time of Christ - has had a condensation problem. The insulation inside the library has been slowly degrading and condensation has been building up, according to Loryl MacDonald, interim director of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. This also resulted in fluctuations in the temperature, something that can be detrimental to books that need climate controlled environments.
“Over time with those types of conditions mould can grow and affect some of the rare books,” said MacDonald.
The library consulted numerous architecture firms and was told the same thing again and again: construction had to be done in the interior. This would require the books, some of which are in fragile condition, to be moved and the library to be temporarily closed.
Desperate for a different solution, John Toyonaga, manager of the Bindery for the library, saw an ad for a first year problem-solving engineering class and decided to throw the library’s problem into the mix.
When 750,000 volumes of rare books are imperiled by condensation, it’s time to think outside the building.
Since at least 2004, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library - which houses books including all four of Shakespeare’s folios and a papyrus from the time of Christ - has had a condensation problem. The insulation inside the library has been slowly degrading and condensation has been building up, according to Loryl MacDonald, interim director of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. This also resulted in fluctuations in the temperature, something that can be detrimental to books that need climate controlled environments.
“Over time with those types of conditions mould can grow and affect some of the rare books,” said MacDonald.
The library consulted numerous architecture firms and was told the same thing again and again: construction had to be done in the interior. This would require the books, some of which are in fragile condition, to be moved and the library to be temporarily closed.
Desperate for a different solution, John Toyonaga, manager of the Bindery for the library, saw an ad for a first year problem-solving engineering class and decided to throw the library’s problem into the mix.