Academic libraries face the challenge of what Drs. Melissa Tedone and Rosie Grayburn called “poison books,” or bibliotoxicology.1 Researchers at large institutions are conducting studies of library holdings, testing books for heavy metals, identifying health and safety guidelines, and sharing new knowledge via published case studies. Small- to mid-sized academic libraries, however, may lack equipment, expertise, funding, or time to investigate their holdings, or the space to safely segregate such items, and must develop their own strategies to address health and safety issues surrounding bibliotoxicology.
This case study explores activities at a medium-sized public university