I was at the NY public library a few years ago to look up some ~1900 math books on quaternions. One of the books I got back started falling apart in my hands as I turned the pages. The _only_ thing this book should be used for is making one Xerox copy to go into a digital scanner (the book is actually quite rare, although not particularly important). I suspect that many other books at the NY public library are in the same delicate shape. The problem of rotting books is only one example of the general problem of rotting data -- much of the NASA data from early explorations has already been lost because the tapes have already turned to goo or dust. Of course, even if the tapes were ok, just try finding a tape machine capable of reading them (and a computer with the correct operating system, correct release date, and a chain of other devices to copy from one to another until you can get the data to something like a USB (2.0, of course!) connector). At 01:58 PM 7/7/2004, Tom Knight wrote:
The Purple Streak, Hilarie Orman writes:
What causes old books to have such a characteristic smell? Is it a bacteria that attacks the paper? Should I freeze my dear CRC Handbook?
I'd guess it's mold, not bacteria. I'd recommend freeze-drying, not freezing, if you are serious, with an argon back-fill. A more serious problem is the acid used in post 1900 paper, which is making modern books almost useless after only 30 years.