Vandalized Collection Material

Below are general guidelines for vandalized collection material. Vandalism usually means items that are written in or on with paint, ink, marker, highlighter, etc., or pages or parts of pages have been removed. See number 4 for bodily fluids including feces.

If you find collection material that has been vandalized, please follow these general guidelines. Feel free to contact Conservation with any questions. 919-660-5906

Send these items to Conservation:

1. If there are 1-4 vandalized pages, Conservation will order replacement pages for these and tip them in.

2. If covers are the only thing vandalized, Conservation can rebind them or send them to the Bindery Unit.

3. If most of the book is vandalized, it is best to replace if possible. Send to Collection Development for evaluation.

Alert DERT (Conservation and FDS) right away

If the vandalism includes any bodily fluids, or suspected bodily fluids of any kind, and you can respond:

1. Wear nitrile gloves and an N95 mask

2. Record bar codes if possible

3. Put item(s) in a baggie or trash bag.

4. Alert DERT (Conservation and FDS) and tell them what happened and when.

5. If you prefer not to deal with it, cordon off the area and alert DERT.