RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
3.4 Taking care of materials
Materials need to be protected from damage by sun, heat, damp, rainwater,
fire, dust, animals and insects.
Humidity can cause materials to become mouldy. In dry climates, materials
may be damaged by dust or termites. Air conditioning or good ventilation, and
regular cleaning, will help to keep materials in good condition.
Fresh air and cleaning will help to control infestation by silverfish. Materials
can be protected against ants by placing the legs of shelves in tins of water or a
mixture of kerosene and water. If eating and drinking is allowed in the resource
centre, the resource centre must be cleaned thoroughly, so that food crumbs do
not attract insects or rodents. If necessary, the usual household insecticides
should be used. However, they should be used (if at all) at the end of the day,
so that they will not be breathed in by users, and the resource centre should
continue to be cleaned regularly, so that residues do not build up.
Shelves should not be packed too tightly, as this prevents the flow of air, and
can cause damage to materials when removing or re-shelving them.
Any materials that are damaged, but that are important to the collection and
cannot be replaced, should be put in strong (labelled) envelopes to prevent
further damage or loss of pages.
TIP: How to dust books
Dust books and other printed materials by holding them spine
upwards and flicking through the pages to dislodge the dust away
from the pages. If you try to dust them by wiping the edges of the
pages with a cloth, this can push the dust further into the pages.
SECTION 3: SPACE, FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT
13