Just as animals may be quarantined after travelling, some books and other collection items are placed in quarantine after arriving at KBR. This helps prevent contaminated items from entering storage areas or spreading contamination to the rest of the collection.

To manage these risks effectively, collections need a dedicated quarantine room, separate from the storage areas. Here, newly arrived or potentially contaminated items can be examined and isolated, helping to prevent and contain contamination.

A quarantine room can be used to:

• hold items while they are being assessed;
• control collection items returning from loans;
• examine donations and selected acquisitions before they enter the collections.

KBR is currently developing such a facility. It will include equipment to:

• isolate collection items;
• carry out certain diagnostic tests, such as determining whether mould is active;
• rehouse items that can be treated in-house;
• prepare items safely for transport when specialist treatment is required elsewhere.