raries direct that the books shall be opened and the two portions clapped smartly together, the windows being kept open so that the draught may carry the dust away, and then a damp cloth applied to the covers of books, outside and inside, to remove the last traces.[1] At Cambridge the same practice is in vogue, though the books are first conveyed to the open air, a proceeding which vastly increases the amount of labour applied. At the British Museum, in certain rooms where it is desirable to keep a specially clean appearance, these books and shelves are superficially dusted every month with a damped cloth, the books not being taken down from the shelves. The whole library is, however, subjected to a more systematic process of dusting, which employs from eight to ten men, and takes about three years to accomplish. The books are not clapped together for fear of injuring them, but the dust is removed with a brush and allowed to fall into a damp cloth. All direct contact with the latter is avoided out of consideration for the bindings. Trial was made in 1896 of a dusting-machine, but the results were not favourable.
Provision against Damp.—The attack of this enemy are the proper care of the "clerk of the works," and the necessary arrangements are described in the volume on "Library Architecture" in this series. It always has to be remembered, in a large town at least, that the free admission of air, which must supplement all architectural provisions for the
- ↑ The shelves are then cleaned with a cloth and the books replaced.
