Low Cost Dust Monitoring at The British Library - IFLA

A colour-coded system was used to record the four dust categories
on the fl oor plans as follows:
Scale 0: no colour
Scale 1: yellow
Scale 2: blue
Scale 3: pink
The information recorded on the plans would then be transferred
onto spreadsheets refl ecting the ranges and bays at a
later date.
Although the British Library operates at a large scale, the principle
of establishing a system of visual assessment and using fl oor
plans to record the location of dust build-up can be applied to
organisations of all sizes.
Carrying out the dust survey
The assessment and recording of dust was carried out by teams
of two people working together. One person carried out the visual
assessment and the other person recorded the information
directly onto the plans using the colour-coding system.
Due to the size of the area being surveyed it was not possible to
look at every range of shelves. In each basement compartment,
every 3 rd to 4 th range was checked and the results were applied
to the adjacent ranges. In the reading rooms, the smaller areas
meant that each range could be checked.
Each team collected information on the level of dust at four
different shelf heights: on canopies (the highest level above
shelves and books); the top of ranges (the highest book shelf);
mid range (a shelf at mid level); and bottom of range (the lowest
shelf).
Collecting data in this way allowed the team to compare dust
levels in different compartments, see the overall distribution
of dust within a compartment, see the distribution of dust by
height, and identify the areas of heaviest dust deposit.
The data from the fl oorplans was then transferred to spreadsheets
to enable the information to be analysed and edited.
This was best done by the people who had collected the data,
and soon after the information had been gathered to avoid
misinterpretation. The grid format of the spreadsheet was used
to refl ect the shelf layout and height of shelves, and to separate
out information about the shelf canopies (Estates responsibility)
from that relating to books and shelves (Collection Care
responsibility).
The pictures below show the relationship between a markedup
fl oorplan for one of the reading rooms, and the same information
transferred to a spreadsheet.
From the spreadsheet format, the information could be easily edited to present specifi c information for particular purposes. For example,
the table 1 shows the Estates department the total extent of canopy cleaning required (in metres) for each of the four basements.
Table 1 Table 2
Whereas the table 2 shows the Collection Care department the extent of cleaning of books and shelves required within one compartment.
With limited resources available, it was important to be able to compare data across all areas and establish priorities for cleaning. The
use of the visual assessment and transfer of data to spreadsheets meant that the areas of highest dust deposit could easily be identifi
ed and these areas could therefore be targeted for cleaning.
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International Preservation News No. 53 May 2011