National Library expects to reopen soon after mould invasion |05 November 2013

The National Library, the children’s section in particular, is expected to reopen soon to accommodate children during the December holidays it has been announced.

The National Library and Archives section also housed in the building have been closed to the public since August this year after a mould invasion which first triggered a two-week closure last year resurfaced causing an indefinite closure and prompting the authorities to seek specialised overseas help.

Tourism and Culture Minister Alain St Ange has said that at present the largest repository in the Archives has been treated and the moulds and humidity removed. This has been made possible with help from a South African contractor specialised in such process.

“At present we are in the second phase of the exercise and it is the children’s section of the library which is being treated so it can open as well as part of the Archives which has already been cleaned,” said Minister St Ange.

The minister noted that the National Library is a large building and the problem cannot be contained in one section so this is why each section has to be treated individually while at the same time ensuring that the mould does not spread again from one section to another.

“We are happy to say that monitoring swab tests carried out in the Archives section have proven that the treatment process has been effective and we expect the same tests to be carried out in the children’s library soon with the same result,” he added .

Meanwhile, Minister St Ange has also said that some funds  from the supplementary budget recently approved by the National Assembly have been allocated to his ministry  and necessary equipment  have already been ordered to ensure a  continued and effective mould eradication process.

“It is important for us to carry out this process and I wish to thank the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Investment for listening to our call for help to continue to protect and preserve the country’s old manuscripts and other important and precious documents,” Minister St Ange pointed out.

He noted that after completing the mould eradication treatment, measures will be taken to upgrade the Archives section by putting in place all the necessary infrastructures and equipment to properly treat all old documents and ensure they are stored in the appropriate temperatures to avoid a repeat of the present situation.

As all of the country’s historical and old government files end up at the archives, Minister St Ange said a lot of work also needs to be carried out to detect mould contamination from other ministries and storage areas to ensure old documents brought to the Archives are clean and safe.

Minister St Ange has also said that the project to digitalise archive documents is still ongoing but noted that it is a long process which once completed will make the documents accessible to everyone via the internet.

Minister St Ange noted that moulds in the National Library building is not new but it is something which has developed over time and to be on the safe side the ministry closed the building for the second time in August to be able to deal with the situation once and for all.

He explained that the building was not designed to house an archive and as it is prone to constant temperature changes this has caused the favourable condition for mould to grow and the situation to deteriorate over time.