Officials at California State University/Northridge have discovered that repair work on the school's library, seriously damaged in a 1994 earthquake, has exposed as much as half of its one-million-item collection to damage by rain and mold.
The Los Angeles Times reported February 17 that a Texas restoration firm has been hired to inspect the books at a cost of $100,000 and school officials believe the cleaning process will drive the final price tag much higher.
Following the earthquake, the library's west wing had to be demolished. A temporary roof that was installed on the surviving portion of the east wing failed to keep out the rain.
Tom Tindall, CSUN's director of facilities planning, told the newspaper that he was hopeful the cleaning could be done by September, but added, “I'm being pretty optimistic.”
Posted February 22, 1999.