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