Step 2: Look Inside the Front and Back Covers
Look for signs that the book has been wet or that something may already be growing within the book. Note that mold usually starts from the outer edges, rather than from the middle of a book’s pages; however, sometimes mold is found in an otherwise unsuspicious book, thriving within the binding.
If there is an overall stain or dirty-looking marks, inspect the book more closely, as covered in Step 6. Right now let’s assume you don’t see anything suspicious.
Books Gone Bad - Mold in Library Collections was a project sponsored by Maine College of Art, in partnership with the Joanne Waxman Library. Funding for this project came from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation. The Project Lead and Artist for this project was Diane J. Wren. All contents Copyright © 2011 by Diane J. Wren. All rights reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Diane J. Wren.