Library mold keeps books out of reach

WSSU students who visited through the first floor stacks area in O’Kelly Library may have come across something odd.The library, where many students go to satisfy their research needs, has had one of its major areas quarantined. This section of the library has been blocked off since September and has become restricted to both students and staff of Winston-Salem State University. All this has been attributed to mold, which has developed on many of the books found in the stack. Although this is a common problem in libraries everywhere, it has caused an enormous problems for students and staff members. Dr. Mae L. Rodney, the director of O’Kelly Library, has made arrangements with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina A&T University so students and staff from WSSU can have the ability to check out books from these libraries for a short period of time.Although this is all she can do at this time, Rodney and her staff members feel it is a great inconvenience, as both students and staff will have to drive to Greensboro to collect the book.”We’re not living up to our mission statement ‘To provide our students with resources to support their research.’ We need to solve this problem,” Rodney said.No tests have been conducted to determined what kind of mold is on the books, but it has been confirmed that the mold can be harmful, especially to people who suffer from allergies or asthma. Although no one is certain of what exactly caused the mold to appear on the books, it could have been caused by moisture coming through the walls on that side of the library.An estimated cost of $5,000 will be needed to complete the necessary clean up.Thus far, the university has received three bids for the clean up job. Representatives from the various companies gave the schools estimates. Rodney said that mold has shut down this section of the library twice in recent years, in 1998 and 1999, for a six-month period each time.