ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries pril 1986 / 251A Library disasters: A lea rn in g exp erien ce By Susan C. G eorge an d Cheryl T. N aslund Physical Sciences Librarian Assistant Physical Sciences Librarian Dartmouth College Dartmouth College Water damage can strike twice—or even eight times—despite every precaution. K resge Physical Sciences Library serves the Dart- mouth College community in the following subject areas: chemistry, earth sciences, astronomy, phys­ ics, mathematics and the computer sciences. The collection is composed of approximately 80,000 volumes with more than 1,500 serial titles. Physi­ cally, the library is divided into two large rooms; one area houses the staff and public service opera tions, the general reference and current periodical collections; the second area includes the general collection (monographs, serials and bound jour nals) and th ree discrete reference collections (chemistry, physics and earth sciences). The ceiling of the second area is totally exposed, with no addi tional floors above. For some time the exposed roof over the general collection had been in a state o disrepair; its restoration was to take place after the construction of a room on a small portion of the roof. Since the room was intended to house heav equipment, the design involved disturbing the al ready inadequate integrity of the roof. Steel sup ports were laid on the roof, slightly elevated from the surface of the roof itself and holes were drilled into the roof to anchor the new structure. The flooding which occurred during the evenin of July 21, 1983, was the first in a series of wate disasters which plagued Kresge Library throug September 1983. In all, eight separate flooding in cidents occurred and the resulting damage to bot ­ ­ ­ f y ­ ­ g r h ­ h the collection and the environment was significant ee diagram on page 253). Before the roof was completely repaired, a total f 1217 volumes were water damaged; one title as unsalvagable following the disaster (see Table ). In addition, the entire collection was covered in lastic for more than one month (cover photo) and ltimately the library had to be closed for one week allow the staff to clean up and reorganize the col­ ctions. After the most severe episodes, the library as able to operate only on a limited basis. Access to the general collection was restricted to ibrary personnel only; titles requested by patrons ere retrieved by the library staff. Library services ere restricted at certain times to reserve transac­ ons alone, not only due to the severity and fre­ uency of the incidents, but also because the dam ­ ged volumes required the immediate and total volvement of the library staff present. The most critical element in coping with a disas­ r is the immediate availability of people-power, gardless of the timing of the disaster. In that re­ pect, the D artm outh College Library system has emonstrated considerable foresight in disaster re­ ponse preparation. In 1981, the library estab­ shed a formal Disaster Team; members were se­ cted from all levels of the library hierarchy, from p level administration to staff personnel. The embers of the initial team developed a disaster (s o w 1 p u to le w L w w ti q a in te re s d s li le to m 252 / C & R L N ew s m anual to lend guidance and to detail procedures for any type of library disaster. Training sessions provided an opportunity for the members to fam il­ iarize themselves w ith disaster occurrences and ap ­ propriate responses. The existence of such a well- prepared group cannot be recommended strongly Preparation is inexpensive insurance. enough; because members represent all aspects of library operations, their background and experi­ ence are invaluable. Their assistance is valuable not only in terms of quantity (i.e., numbers), but most im portantly, in terms of quality. They are genuinely concerned w ith preserving the collection an d p ro v id e d th e expertise needed to a v ert a greater disaster at Kresge Library. In addition to the Disaster Team , a second pool of people-power may be necessary to move large numbers of vol­ umes in im m ediate jeopardy. The quick access to and availability of materials for coping with a w ater disaster is a further neces­ sity. Again, the D artm outh College Library system dem onstrated foresight: along w ith the im plem en­ tatio n of a Disaster T eam , em ergency supplies were housed in an accessible location in each Li­ brary on campus. These supplies included: flash­ lights, scissors, first-aid equipm ent, plastic sheet­ ing, paper towels and newsprint. In coping w ith a w ater disaster, additional equipm ent stored cen­ trally proved to be as vital: dehum idifier, wet vac­ uum , fans, large plastic trash cans, and the avail­ ability of a vacuum drying unit. The dehum idifier was used to keep the moisture content in the af­ fected area below 67 % ; at higher humidities, con­ siderable mold and/or mildew dam age could oc­ cur. T he w et vacuum was able to absorb large amounts of w ater resulting from the numerous and often severe rain and wind storms. The fans were utilized to keep air circulating, to prevent stagna­ tion of any standing w ater and to retard the growth of mold and mildew. Fans were also used to air-dry volumes not totally saturated. The vacuum drying unit (in our case, a Vacudyne) was used to dry the most severely dam aged volumes; in the final analy­ sis, only one title printed on coated paper was ren­ dered completely useless. The most serious physical handicap in dealing w ith this w ater disaster proved to be the lack of ad­ equately sized plastic sheeting to cover and protect the collection. At present, commercially produced plastic is available in a variety of w idth x length sizes, but plastic sufficiently large to cover a nor­ mal library stack range is not readily available. The only im m ediate alternative is to cover the stacks by overlapping the plastic sheets. The prob­ lem w ith this technique, however, is th a t the over­ lap seam is not sealed and is a prim e target for addi­ tional leakage. Ideally, adequate plastic, sized specifically for the length and w idth of each stack range, would be housed w ith other emergency sup­ plies in the library. A parallel problem is th a t plas­ tic, once hung over the stacks, sags and collapses under the weight of w ater dripping from the ceil­ ing. Thus, the plastic must be solidly attached to the end of the stack ranges or the walls (using very strong tape) and drainage holes must be punched in the plastic in the middle of each aisle so the w ater cannot accum ulate and cause further damage. D e­ spite the strategic placem ent of waste cans under each hole, the face of each stack must also be cov­ ered to prevent splashing onto the titles from w ater draining through the holes punched in the plastic draped above the stacks. No library anticipates a disaster of any nature, but the lessons learned from an actual experience provide valuable insights for disaster planning and preparation. The ramifications of any disaster are far reach­ ing and should be considered in disaster planning. The following list highlights those of greatest im ­ portance: •sufficient space must be available away from the dam aged area in which volumes can be diag­ nosed and treated; • t h e im m ed iate av ailab ility of m any book trucks is required to rapidly remove volumes in peril; • th e availability of large trash cans for collect­ ing w ater, preferably 20-30 gallon plastic which will not rust; • t o have adequate emergency supplies avail­ able at all times; in anticipation of recurring inci­ d en ts, th e supplies need to be re-stocked fr e ­ quently, in order th a t shortages will not affect one’s ability to cope w ith additional occurrences; • a n im m ediate check of all electrical outlets in­ cluding ceiling lights for w ater accum ulation in or­ der to prevent short circuits and the possibility of a fire; • an inspection of the ceiling periodically during the disaster, particularly if removable fibreboard tiles are in place, to deflect w ater saturated pieces from falling on the collection or people below. In addition, false ceilings can conceal real and poten­ tial dam age th a t may otherwise go unnoticed; •low ering the tem perature of the affected area to prevent further dam age from standing w ater; • a n ad e q u a te and com plete record-keeping form to docum ent titles dam aged and their tre a t­ m ent is essential; • th e availability of an in-house or local preser­ vation expert for consultation on salvage and resto­ ration; • th e availability of a book press in order to treat waffled or mildly dry volumes; • th e availability of a certified rare book dealer April 1986 / 253 Physical locations of water leaks in Kresge Library or expert, to assess the amount of damage to titles not currently in print or difficult to acquire; • a procedure to determine the deterioration of titles, damaged but replaced in the collection, is vi­ tal for insurance purposes; • th e availability of a competent commercial cleaning organization for the final restoration of the physical condition of the area. Valuable lessons learned include: •m ake sure that any contemplated renovations or new designs which might affect your library are thoroughly discussed with you (to anticipate and hopefully prevent any disaster); •d o not assume that you have enough material and personnel available; often what you believe is adequate will not suffice—plans should exist to al­ low for back-up resources; •keep an even temperament; anger will not ac­ complish anything positive. Obviously, it is impossible for every library to be totally prepared to deal with any disaster which might strike; however, preparation is inexpensive insurance and should be compulsory. Our experi­ ences in 1983 confirm this and we continue to make every effort to be better prepared in the future. We share our experiences with the hope that others may also plan more effectively. Two and one half years passed uneventfully with no mold growth on the previously wetted books. The disaster supply closet was carefully restocked with the hope that such diligenoe would ensure against further water disasters. Library staff mem­ bers went back to their usual activities un til.... Another disaster strikes The assistant librarian received a call from the brary director on Monday, December 23, 1985, 6:15 a.m ., asking that she come in immediately ecause a pipe had apparently burst and the li­ rary was flooded. With the Christmas holidays minent, many library staff were on vacation in- uding the physical sciences librarian. Arriving at e library 30 minutes later and prepared for yet other water leak, the quantity of water (2-3" vering the floor of the entire general collection ea) and more continuing to rain from the ceiling, oved almost unbelievable. The library director iefed her quickly, noting that the water had been ut off, despite apparent evidence to the contrary. The Buildings and Grounds crews were dis­ tched immediately to the library, since other aff would not be in for another hour. Efforts to ntact the chair of the Dartmouth College Li­ ary Disaster Team failed and with the exception the presence of the assistant librarian and one lleague who arrived later because he lived rela­ ely far away, all other members of the team ere unavailable. Messages were left in all library its indicating that any personnel who could be ared should be sent to Kresge Library upon their rival. Buildings and Grounds crews arrived shortly d began putting up plastic sheeting which had en stored in the disaster supply closet. The im­ rtance of removing the fibreboard acoustic ceil­ g tiles cannot be underestimated because the tiles li at b b im el th an co ar pr br sh pa st co br of co tiv w un sp ar an be po in 254 / C & R L N ew s becom e saturated and disintegrate in areas of inho­ mogeneity and structural weakness. Failure to re­ move these tiles prom ptly compounds disaster re­ covery efforts because the tiles fall into the plastic sheeting, pulling it dow n and thereby causing ad ­ ditional dam age to the collection. W ith the crews instructed and mobilized, orga­ nization of the recovery effort began. It was still too early to m ake arrangem ents for frozen storage or transportation. Thousands of books needed to be moved out of the danger area and sorted into loca­ tions designated for w et and dry m aterial, th e w et volum es to be processed for shipm ent to frozen storage. W h at would be needed in the way of space and supplies? A list was made: book trucks and people-power for moving books, freezer paper for separating books so they w ould not freeze into a solid block, milk crates or boxes for moving books, a mechanism to inventory the books for insurance purposes if necessary, inform ation on insurance coverage and the availability of funds to cover im ­ m ediate costs, a truck for tra n sp o rta tio n , local freezer facilities to buy tim e, inform ation on facili­ ties to dry the books, equipm ent to measure the h u ­ midity in the environm ent, and rotating fans and dehumidifiers to restore the environm ent. The list seemed endless and it all needed to be handled im ­ mediately on the eve of Christm as Eve. A plan for work flow was prepared in the hour before library staff arrived: furniture was moved and hastily w ritten signs posted—w et books here, dry books here. The decision was m ade to keep an inventory of the books using call num ber and short title (spine title) on tape recorders, an idea th a t de­ veloped as a result of the last disaster. Keeping a w r itte n re c o rd w o u ld h a v e b een too tim e - consuming and unwieldly: tim e was of the essence. At 8:00 a . m ., library staff in support areas w ere no­ tified of the need to send all available booktrucks to Kresge via Buildings and Grounds crews. As staff members arrived, they were asked to sign in so th a t a complete record could be kept of those who as­ sisted w ith the disaster. T hen th e w ork began. ome staff were sent to procure materials: more lastic and freezer w rap from C entral Stores, tape ecorders from the lib rary ’s m ain office (3) w ith a d ­ itional ones (8) from the m edia support service on am pus, and cassette tapes from a local store. O th ­ rs began checking stack ranges and moving load fter load of books to the designated w et or dry a r­ as. Others cut freezer paper into 9 x 12 sheets. till oth ers in serted freezer w ra p b etw een th e ooks as they recorded the call num bers and spine itles on cassettes preparing them for shipping to he frozen storage facilities. In the m eantim e, an effort was m ade to contact ocal frozen storage facilities as identified in the artm o u th College L ibrary Disaster M anual. First n the list was the College’s dining hall w hich was losed for the Christm as break. Next the U.S. Army orps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and E n ­ ineering L ab o rato ry (CRREL) located 1 mile rom cam pus was contacted. Eventually storage p ace for o u r w et m a te ria ls w as secu red in a arage-size cold room at CRREL. W e were ini­ ially led to believe th a t a rental truck could be riven into the CRREL facility thereby elim inat­ ng the need to pack and unpack the books, but the igh w eight/volum e ratio of the books prevented his ow ing to concerns about the structural integ­ ity of the floor. W ith frozen storage space for the oliday week in the process of being secured, p re­ im inary inform ation was gathered about methods or drying our collection. To this end, the N orth­ ast D ocum ent Conservation C enter (N EDCC), he library conservation center for our region, was ontacted. They advised us about a variety of dry ­ ng options and thoroughly assessed the facts of the ituation (approxim ately 5,000 w et books, 30% ully saturated, 30% one-third saturated, the re­ aining 40 % w etted only at the edges) before rec­ m m ending the vacuum freeze drying of the m ate­ ials. It is w orth noting th a t, although some of the ooks w ere w etted directly from the top, the vast S p r d c e a e S b t t l D o c C g f s g t d i h t r h l f e t c i s f m o r b TABLE 1. Volumes damaged during water disaster episodes Number Percent Total damaged 1217 100 Monographs 411 33.8 Journal Volumes 321 26.4 Serial Volumes 485 39.8 April 1986 / 255 majority soaked up standing water from the shelves on which they rested. LUM bindings, being partic­ ularly absorbent, facilitated the greatest amount of damage as they soaked the water up around the en­ tire text block. As a result of this problem, a thor­ ough check of each volume, by pulling it off the shelf, became absolutely essential as water damage was seldom obvious from the spine alone. Fre­ quently the books absorbed all trace of w ater standing on a given shelf. Available options included air-drying the mate­ rial ourselves, sending the materials out to be air- dried, or vacuum-drying the materials in our own vacuum chamber. Air drying the materials our­ selves was a physical improbability owing to the shortage of labor, space, the magnitude of the di­ saster, and the high risk of mold growth due to the time involved in drying thoroughly wetted vol­ umes. Vacuum drying the books in our own cham­ ber would be extremely slow owing to the number of books in need of attention and would require prolonged use of the frozen storage facility. Send­ ing the materials out to be air-dried, or at least some of them, proved to be an option worth explor­ ing. Moisture Control Services, a division of Cargo- care Engineering Corporation, located in W o­ burn, Massachusetts, specializes in m aintaining and restoring physical environments and has in the last year moved into the business of drying library materials. Originally recommended by NEDCC to restore the library environm ent, we contacted them and learned of their services in drying books either by installing high capacity dehumidification equipment in space available on site or at their cor­ porate location. The cost ranging from $ 18-$25/ft3 is substantially less than freeze-drying costs. Use of an air drying process in this disaster was ruled out largely due to the amount of time required to com­ plete the process for heavily saturated books and the correspondingly increased risk of mold growth to a permanent research collection. Appropriate uses of this technology might include the drying of office records, circulating library collections with­ out permanent research value, or other situations where cost is an overriding factor. The decision to vacuum freeze-dry the collection was then made. The closest vacuum freeze-dry facility for north­ ern New England is American Freeze Dry Incorpo­ rated, in Audubon, New Jersey. Telephone calls to them provided a cost estimate and necessary re­ quirements for shipping the books. Information from MacDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, Missouri, gave a cost comparison. Boxing or crating the books for shipping became the next most important con­ cern. Locating an estimated 500 milkcrates in rural New Hampshire proved impossible, but a local moving company already prepared for another major job came to the rescue; they provided strap­ ping tape and a tape gun as well. By 3:00 p.m. after a hard day at work and a pic­ nic lunch from a local restaurant, the bulk of the job was done. With the help of 36 staff and volun­ teers the books were inventoried, prepared for shipping and loaded into a rental truck to be trans­ ported to the local frozen storage facility. Because this facility was still being brought down to tem­ perature (-10°F), the books were left in the truck overnight outside at approximately 0° to -10°F. The following morning a dedicated crew of library Collection integrity must be the first priority. staff and volunteers unpacked the truck and loaded the books quickly into the cardboard boxes. Once the wet books had been removed from the building, a thorough check was made of several thousand supposedly dry books. All appeared to be completely dry. The area was straightened out and a notice, indicating restricted access to the collec­ tion and the reason for the disarray, was posted. Attention turned to restoring the physical envi­ ronment. The Buildings and Grounds crews had successfully w et-vacuum ed the carpet and re­ moved most of the disintegrated ceiling tiles. The ceiling dripped only occasionally. Rotating fans were placed strategically throughout the library to ensure air circulation. The central heating facility had been instructed to cool the building down to help prevent the growth of mold and a decision was made to back ventilate through the building’s air exchange system, thereby pumping cold, dry out­ side air into the building and lowering the humid­ ity drastically. Dehumidifiers proved to be inoper­ able ow ing to the fact th a t the coils froze completely even at 65°F. The next morning the building was inspected by the assistant librarian who was pleasantly surprised at how much drying had occurred just overnight. The temperature was about 55°F. and the relative humidity was 38% . A representative from Moisture Control Services used a probe to check the humidity in the carpets, dis­ covering that it too was relatively low and that there was no appreciable damming effect where the stacks met the carpet (damming occurs when water is trapped in a confined area, usually where pressure prevents its escape). By Thursday, three days after the disaster the relative humidity was 33% and the building tem perature was 49°F. With the holiday over and the physical environ­ ment stabilized, the decision was made to bring the building back up to normal temperature, resulting in a further drop in the relative humidity to 24 % at 65‘F. Rotating fans to maintain air circulation con­ tinued to be used throughout the cleanup operation and for nearly a week afterward, as an added pre­ caution. The collection was thoroughly rechecked 256 / C & R L N ew s Efforts to protect the collection involved m oving m any books. N ote the fu n n e l o f plastic sheeting used to divert water aw ay fro m the collection. Plastic bag-lined trash cans are strategically placed to catch w ater released through holes in the sagging plastic. for any ad ditional w et books and th e only one found was successfully air-dried in house. After the Christm as holiday final arrangem ents were m ade for transporting the books to be freeze- dried at an estim ated cost of $50-$60/ft3; the p al­ lets and shrink w rap necessary for shipping the boxed books were obtained. U ltim ately the books were counted (4,479) and repacked properly (spine side dow n to prom ote air circulation) into the boxes. The boxes (313), inventoried, num bered and labeled, were then loaded on pallets (13) and shrink w rapped to keep them in place on the pallets as required for shipping. E v entually they w ere shipped in a refrigerated sem i-tractor trailer to be freeze-dried. A ttention to such details as the acces­ sibility of loading docks, the availability of fork lifts and pallet pushers, the p reparation of a bill of la d ­ ing, and loading techniques for pallets should not be overlooked. It is im portant to specify th a t the contents of a frozen load rem ain frozen d u rin g loading and transport. In the days following the disaster, arrangem ents were m ade for an inspection by an insurance a d ­ juster who needed to see, not only the dam age caused to the building itself, b u t also a representa­ tive sample of the type of dam age sustained by the books and the overall qu an tity of m aterials d a m ­ aged. A local cleaning service was contracted to come into the library to steam clean the carpets, and to clean, deodorize and sanitize (with a mold an d m ildew resistant disinfectant) th e affected walls and shelving. In February 1986 another w ater leak occurred; in this instance, the am ount was small, bu t the fact th a t w ater continued to enter through the ceiling brought a renew ed sense of frustration to the staff. Approximately one-third of the collection was cov­ ered w ith plastic and so far prevention of further w ater dam age to the collection has been successful. On this occasion, the w ater entered as a result of a ru p tu re in the outside seal around the base of the room above the library, the same room the con­ struction of w hich caused the original series of w a ­ ter dam age incidents in 1983. Upon investigation, it was determ ined th a t the accum ulated snow and ice had risen above the level of the outside seal and w ith a rapid fluctuation in the outside tem p era­ ture, a freeze-thaw effect allowed w ater to seep slowly betw een the seal and the outside w all of the room onto the unrepaired portion of the roof under the room. Since m any fibreboard ceiling tiles had been removed due to the severe w ater dam age in D ecem ber, none w ere in place to absorb or retard the incom ing w ater. F o rtu n ately , th e leak was small in q uantity and it occurred during the nor­ m al work day. The staff im m ediately, and very ef­ fectively, dealt w ith the incident. Since th a t tim e, no additional leaks have occurred, bu t the poten­ tial for further dam age still exists. The outside seal was repaired, bu t there is no guarantee of its integ- April 1986 / 257 rity and with the onset of the normal spring thaw the library may be faced with additional water leakage incidents. As a result of these occurrences, various solutions have been suggested to prevent future incidents; these include the installation of metal canopies over the stacks, the installation of water-sensitive tape along the outside perimeter of the room above the library, the design and installa­ tion of a large sloped drip-pan to fit under the out­ side dimensions of the room and above the ceiling of the library, and the installation of sealing mate­ rial for the unrepaired portion of the roof under the room. None of the suggestions by itself could pre­ vent a major water disaster, but for the continuing “small incidents” some solution must be found. The integrity of the collection must always be the first priority; achievement of a satisfactory solution may be complex, costly and time-consuming, but it must be pursued. A false sense of security cannot substitute for continued vigilance. That the roof was repaired in 1983 did not rule out the possibility of water leak­ ages occurring for other reasons; in short, although we cannot predict events beyond our control, we can be as well prepared as possible. Postscript The freeze-dried books have been returned and the unpacking and sorting process has begun. Some of the books can be returned directly to the collec­ tion, but many need additional repairs (separating pages, pressing, rebinding) and some must be re­ placed. This processing is being carried out by a student assistant hired solely for this task; she works two hours, four days a week and is sorting approxi­ mately 100 volumes each day. She works using guidelines developed by the assistant librarian and is supervised by the physical sciences librarian. Sta­ tistics are being kept during the sorting phase to de­ termine the real damage costs to the collection it­ self. In addition, six metal canopies, purchased from the Wilson Company, have been installed on an ex­ perimental basis to determine their role as part of the solution. No final decision has been made as yet. References Association for Research Libraries, Systems and Procedures Exchange Center. Preparing for Emer­ gencies and Disasters (SPEC Kit no. 69). Washing­ ton: ARL, 1981. R uchanan, Sally. “ Disaster Prevention and Action.” Oklahoma Librarian 30 (1980) :35—4L Buchanan, Sally. “Disaster: Prevention, Pre­ paredness and Action.” Library Trends 30 (Fall 1981):241-252. Sellers, David Y., and Richard Strassberg. “Anatomy of a Library Emergency: How Cornell University Libraries Dealt with Flood Damages and Developed Plans to Handle Future Emergen­ cies.” Library Journal 98 (1973):2224-27. Spawn, Willman. “After the W ater Comes.” Pennsylvania Library Association Bulletin 28 (1973) :243—51. Stanford University Library Conservation Of­ fice. Disasters: Prevention and Coping. Proceed­ ings of the May 21-22, 1980 Conference. Stanford: Stanford University Library Conservation Office, 1980. Waters, Peter. Procedures for Salvage of Water Damaged Library Materials. Washington: Li­ brary of Congress, 1975. ■ ■ D o c t o r a l D i s s e r t a t i o n F e l l o w s h i p a w a r d e d Gemma De Vinney, State University of New York at Buffalo, has been granted a Doctoral Dis­ sertation Fellowship by the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Institute for Scien­ tific Information (ISI). Her proposed research is entitled: “The 1965-1975 Faculty Status Move­ ment as a Professionalization Effort with Social Movement Characteristics: A Case Study of The State University of New York.” The award consists of a citation and $1,000 contributed by ISI, and will be presented to her at the ACRL Program Meeting, 2:00-5:30 p.m ., Monday, June 30, New York University, at ALA Annual Conference in New York. This is the fourth ACRL Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship to be granted. Last year, Joanne Eus- ter, a doctoral student at the University of Califor­ nia, Berkeley, and Vicki Gregory, a doctoral stu­ dent at Rutgers University, were co-winners of the fellowship. The purpose of the fellowship is to fos­ ter research in academic librarianship by encour­ aging and assisting doctoral students in the field with their dissertation research. Recipients of the fellowship must be active doc­ toral students in the academic librarianship area in a degree-granting institution who have completed all their coursework and had their proposal ac­ cepted by the institution. The criteria for judging include the potential significance of the research, methodological validity, originality, clarity, and a convincing timetable. Applications for next year’s fellowship may be made to: Mary Ellen K. Davis, Program Officer, ACRL/ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611- 2795. Seven copies of the application should be submitted. Applications must be received by De­ cember 1, 1986, to be eligible. ■ ■ Faxon's Foreign Service. he company you know and Ttrust for domestic serials management is also your best choice for foreign titles. The same toll free number you call for customer assistance ties you into Faxon's global network of services. 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