Archiving

Over the course of the years, we all tend to accumulate the odd rare book for one of our specialized interests. They're the books we keep with us no matter what, and often refer back to. I've kept one such book for over a decade: Gem Stone Tree and Picture Creations by Bev Carroll. It's a very rare book that I happened to purchase from Bev Carroll and her husband at a rock show many years ago. It's my understanding that Bev Carroll has since passed on, and I don't believe this book is available anywhere any longer. I haven't been able to find a source for purchasing another copy, at any rate.

Unfortunately, last night there was an accident. I had this book with me, and at some point in the course of the night it dropped into the snow as I was getting into or out of the car. I have reason to believe it stayed there, in the snow, for several hours undiscovered. I eventually noticed it was missing and managed to locate the book. It was soaked. I took it home with me and very carefully used the oven set to "warm" (less than even the lowest setting of 200 degrees Fahrenheit) to dry the book out, with paper towels between each page so they wouldn't stick together. It worked quite well, and though the book is still slightly damp in spots I think it's been saved. I am worried, however, about the possible onset of mold and mildew. To help preserve the book even in this eventuality, I've spent today making a digital copy of it in pdf format. Anyone who would like to read it is welcome to do so at The Library, here. Username and password for The Library are the same as always.