Caring for America's Library
Office of Collection Maintenance and Preservation, 1963-1967
Upon Kremer's retirement in 1963, the Keeper's Office was reorganized and renamed the Office of Collections Maintenance and Preservation, with Paul Edlund appointed as principal officer. One of the first problems he encountered was the need to relocate 1-1/2 million books in the main building so that duct work for a new ventilation system could be installed. Solving this portion of the environmental control problem presented another difficulty -- the loss of about 5 percent of the total stack area in this building.
Other preservation activities of the Library during the early-to-mid-1960s included pH testing of books, artificial aging tests on motion picture films, and studies of environmental control equipment such as humidifiers and of laboratory devices, including pH meters and ultrasonic cleaners. Binding and much of the restoration activities, however, stayed under the supervision of the GPO.