I can't speak to the accuracy of the story in the newspaper, but I can offer 
a few comments. I inspected the mold myself in 2015 and, seeing how serious 
the problem was, advised that steps be taken as soon as possible to stop its 
spread and treat the damage, much of which was minor, but would still 
require tedious and careful treatment. The mold I saw was confined to 
objects in one or two storage areas in the visitor's center. They brought in 
experts and addressed the problem quickly, and I especially want to single 
out Tracy Brindle for staying on top of the issue. I have full confidence in 
their efforts, as evidenced by the fact that I loaned them nearly $100,000 
worth of Mark Twain materials from my personal collection for their exhibits 
in 2015 and 2016, will continue to loan materials whenever I'm asked, and 
urge others to do the same without hesitation.

A word about molds: I set up a conservation lab at a university in the 1970s 
when I was a young librarian, and dealt with mold issues back then. Mold is 
everywhere. It's in my home and all of your homes, in cars, in offices, and 
in the air you breath. The issue is not whether mold is present, but whether 
it is a harmful variety of mold, and whether it is active or dormant (some 
of you might want to take a moment to check your showers, your fridges, and 
your central a/c units). The ideal climate for conservation is 50 degrees 
and 50% humidity with low lighting, but that's not a comfortable or healthy 
environment for humans who must work around such objects, so most rare book 
libraries and museums maintain separate climate controls for their storage 
areas and more lax controls for exhibit areas--usually a low humidity, a 
higher temperature, and comfortable lighting levels. Things like leaking 
pipes and malfunctions in heating and cooling units often cause isolated 
outbreaks, but once the objects affected are treated and climate controls 
are restored, the problem is resolved.

I congratulate the Mark Twain House & Museum for facing this issue head-on. 
The Mark Twain House and its artifacts are in good hands.

Kevin
@
Mac Donnell Rare Books
9307 Glenlake Drive
Austin TX 78730
512-345-4139
Member: ABAA, ILAB
*************************
You may browse our books at:
www.macdonnellrarebooks.com


-----Original Message----- 
From: Barbara Schmidt
Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2017 7:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Hartford House in the news

Several stories were in the news today about the progress being made to
remedy problems with mold at the Visitor's Center at Mark Twain's home in
Hartford.  The longest and most extensive story seems to be this one from
the Hartford Courant newspaper:

http://cour.at/2l7JoJP


Barb