The 28,000-book art collection was transferred to a climate controlled facility in Georgetown, Mass. , for treatment and repair. The collection is expected to be back in circulation in about two weeks, according to University Librarian Jerome Yavarkovsky.
Yavarkovsky said that the outbreak was likely caused by a failure in a library climate control system. The equipment in question will be repaired or replaced, and climate monitors will be installed in the area, he said.
Patrons seeking art resources will be referred to the Boston Library Consortium, where BC library users have reciprocal borrowing privileges. Expedited interlibrary loan service will be available until the collection is returned to Bapst, Yavarkovsky said.
Reference and periodical collections in the Bapst Art Library were not affected by the problem, according to Yavarkovsky.
-Reid Oslin