Library and books are frees from mold

If anyone’s been in the O’Kelly Library lately they may have noticed some things missing in the lower wing of the facility – the books.The missing books are a result of the libraries closing last semester because molding had settled on the books in that wing and spread throughout the section.As a result, the library had to make certain arrangements with other schools ,including North Carolina A&T University, to borrow certain books when they were needed by Winston-Salem State University students. Mrs. Lizzie Reeder would travel to the university and retrieve the books for the students. This semester the books and the area have been cleaned and is accessible for use by the faculty, staff and students.Dr. Mae Rodney, director of the library, said, “The company came in April and cleaned the area. They removed every book from the shelves in that section of the lower level and cleaned the books, the shelves and the air vents as well.” There were two other things done to ensure success in their efforts to up hold the library’s mission, in providing services to the faculty, staff and students.After the books had been cleaned, the air was tested to verify that the mold had been eradicated. The library staff, primarily Ms. Iris Deberry, then relocated all the books that were on the west wall, since this wall was in contact withthe ground outside where the mold originated. Rodney clarified that “the university had a contractor come in and dig around the building in order to make certain there were no broken pipes or any thing of that nature that would cause moisture to seep in the building, through this wall. Relocating the books was merely a precaution.”The library staff is also keeping the air in the building at a stable level so it will not encourage mold to grow again.Dr. Rodney noted that the university took full financial responsibility for the cleaning so the library did not have to reach in it’s budget.However, she said “this is a thing of nature that we cannot control. For instance in some houses the basement may not be properly sealed, causing moisture to seep into the building. This combination of moisture, mixed with the make up of the paper and the glue in the book, is prone to attract mold.” This problem has occurred before, at WSSU about five or six years ago. However, Rodney remains optimistic “Hopefully we have been aggressive towards the situation, the cleaning was more extensive than in the past and more precautions have been taken. Reeder sends a message to the student body. concerning the mold situation.”We appreciate the patience of the students while the books were not accessible to them, and now that they are, we would like the students to come in and make an extensive use of these materials in this section as well as others.”