Built in the late 1800s, the Buck Memorial Library has been giving the people of Bucksport something to read for nearly 150 years. Earlier this summer, though, it had to decommission some books — for good.
About six weeks ago, Library Director Lisa Ladd found a mold infestation that damaged nearly 15 percent of the 14,000 books lining the nonprofit’s stacks. She was forced to chuck them all.
“Mold is a librarian’s worst nightmare, as it can spread rapidly, infecting an entire collection,” the library told patrons last month. “The only way to prevent the loss of your collection is to cull the volumes from your library.”
The issue, which is common in New England, was relayed to the Town Council this week, and Ladd said on Friday that the mold hit the history section particularly hard. She is now on the hunt to find several out-of-print books.
She’s hit up The Briar Patch in Bangor, the cavernous Big Chicken Barn in Ellsworth and Bucksport’s own BookStacks. Ladd was also able to locate several E.B. White books in her hometown of Brooklin.
“I haven’t resorted to eBay yet, but we’ll see,” she said.
Luckily none of the books that were lost were extremely rare. It will likely take a year to replace what was lost, though some volumes will not be restored to the collection. The library sees this as an opportunity to reconsider what’s available, possibly adding more young adult books and graphic novels.
To avoid such a disaster again, the library trustees have invested about $4,000 into a dehumidifier system, and it’s already doing wonders.
“It’s a lot drier now than in the year and a half since I’ve been here,” Ladd said.
The director also advised book lovers to check their personal books as mold can take grip in any collection, not just small New England libraries.
“It’s something that everybody should be regularly checking at home,” she said. “It can easily go from one book to 10 books to 20 books.”
