Do dusty books drive you nuts? Every now and then, I’ll go to pull out something I haven’t read in a while, only to have my nasal passages assaulted by a half-inch of dust, leaving me sneezing for a day or two and questioning whether re-reading that book was really worth the allergy attack. While my problem is largely due to my own laziness, librarians have more books than they could possibly clean–dust on a much grander scale.
However, in at least one public library, this problem is no more!
Last week, the folks at the Boston Public Library tweeted a video of a machine they refer to as a “mini car wash” (minus the water, of course) that they use to clean their books.
A behind-the-scenes look at how we remove dust from our #books. It's like a mini car wash for books, minus the water! #libraries #booklovers pic.twitter.com/3xGI6ZEHVJ
— BostonPublicLibrary (@BPLBoston) April 20, 2017
It’s called a Depulvera (which kind of sounds like something that would smash books into a pulp instead of clean them), and it can clean up to 12 per minute without causing any damage. The librarian simply places the book on the conveyor belt, and a series of brushes and a vacuum removes any lingering dust, leaving it sparkling clean by the end of the process, whereby the librarian must remove it once it’s ejected. Its delicate touch makes it suitable for antiques, and it can even handle books over 15 inches tall!
On top of all of that, it’s portable, too, so it can simply be rolled to wherever it’s needed.
Depulvera is a product of Oracle Company, and is manufactured in Italy. It’ll set you back about $35,000-40,000.
YouTube Channel: ConservationByDesign
Featured image via Schempp
h/t Sploid
