Mold-Help.org - The world's largest TOXIC MOLD web site
  • Mold Basics
    • Mold Overview
    • Mold Symptoms
    • Mold Types & Images
    • Fungal Infections
  • Resources and Tools
    • Home Care
    • Health & Diet
    • Tips for Parents
    • Coping with Loss
    • Private Research
    • Legal Suggestions
    • Mold in the Bible
  • Mold News
    • Current Headlines
    • “Sick Buildings”
    • The Environment
    • Construction Industry
    • Govt. & Politics
    • The Workplace
    • Landlords & Tenants
    • Insurance Companies
    • Schools & Institutions
    • Strange Fungal Tales
    • Personal Mold Stories
    • Additional Articles
  • Agencies & Experts
  • About Mold-Help
    • Mold-Help News
  • Search
  • Menu
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Mold-Free Hau’Ula Library Open

October 3, 2004/in "Sick Buildings" /by Contributor

By Eloise Aguiar – Writer, Advertiser Windward O’ahu
Posted on: Thursday, August 8, 2002

HAU’ULA – Half of the shelves in the Hau’ula Elementary School library sit empty after mold destroyed about $60,000 worth of books and forced the closure of the facility all of last school year because of potential health risks.

But finally the mold is gone and the library is open again after a labor-intensive eradication effort that lasted a year and required hundreds of hours of work by volunteers. The situation highlighted what has now been acknowledged as a problem in at least 12 more schools and led to changes at this tiny Windward school to protect the rest of its collection.

The reopening coincided with the start of school July 31, and though Hau’ula’s 320 students are happy to have their library back, it’s a facility with a reduced collection that could interfere with research projects and limits the selection of books a child can borrow.

Of the 12,000 books the school once had, about 4,000 were discarded.

"The fairy tale and science collection was hit hardest because of their location in the library," said school librarian Natalie Zane.

The two collections, along with the Hawaiiana section, which also sustained great loss, are next to an exit door that Zane believes was a main contributor to the mold problem.

The door, on the ocean side of the building, let in moisture every time it was opened, she said, adding that the mold near the door was greater than in any other part of the room.

The school is looking at ways to secure the door, which must remain unlocked because it is an emergency exit, Zane said.

In the meantime, the school is scrambling to replace its lost inventory, applying for a grant for reference books and seeking donations. About 1,000 used and new books have been given to the school, said principal Bradley Odagiri.

"We appreciate any support we can get," Odagiri said, adding that money might be better because that would allow the librarian to select books that meet the school’s curriculum needs. At $15 per library book, the school would need $60,000 to replace its losses.

About 50 boxes filled with donated books are stacked against the library wall waiting to be reviewed and sorted. Not all are library material, some because they lack a sturdy binding, and others because they are not considered appropriate reading for elementary school children.

With no clear guidelines about how to deal with the mold, the school had to work on its own to figure out how to handle the problem. The Windward District Office did eventually provide some financing and the Department of Education provided manpower to help move the books.

Zane and a small group of volunteers cleaned the library, and Brigham Young University-Hawai’i froze the salvageable books, killing the mold growing in them.

With the cleaning and freezing ordeal behind them, Odagiri said steps have been taken to protect the remaining collection, including adding three dehumidifiers and readjusting the air conditioner. The library also will get a new air conditioner.

"We don’t want to go through that again," he said.

Zane said she thinks the problem worsened when schools were asked to cut their budgets and the recommendation was made to save on energy costs by shutting off the air conditioner at night, on weekends and holidays.

Air conditioning helps keep the collection dry, she said. When the air conditioner is off, moisture accumulates and mold grows. No one seemed to consider the long-term effects this short-term solution would have on the books, she said.

Since Hau’ula’s mold problem came to light, more than 12 other libraries have complained about similar conditions, Zane said.

"So the question becomes, ‘How much money did they really save by turning off the electricity?’ " she said

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png 0 0 Contributor https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Contributor2004-10-03 21:02:272019-03-29 20:19:07Mold-Free Hau'Ula Library Open

Mold News

  • Current Headlines
  • "Sick Buildings"
  • The Environment
  • Construction Industry
  • Govt. & Politics
  • The Workplace
  • Landlords & Tenants
  • Insurance Companies
  • Schools & Institutions
  • Personal Mold Stories
  • Strange Fungal Tales
  • Additional Articles

Latest Posts

  • Office and Commercial Buildings at Risk for Mold after COVID-19 Closings
  • COVID-19 Symptoms May Include Loss of Taste and Smell
  • New Mold Detox Information on the Horizon
  • COVID-19 Courses of Action
  • Stachybotrys
  • Simple and Easy Ways to Prevent the Coronavirus
  • Your Air Conditioning Unit Helps Eliminate Mold
  • Construction Workers Are Learning to Control Dust and Debris
  • Dangerous Mosquitoes Love Water
  • Insects in your Basement May be a Sign of Water Damage

Search Our Site:

Need Help with Mold?

Are you being affected by mold or other mycotoxins in your environment? Our team and community has over 15 years experience and can provide guidance. You can reach us by submitting your contact or through our Facebook page.

Have a Story to Share?

We're looking for stories and input to expand our database and to add to the personal experiences we've received from the thousands of victims over the last 15. If mold has impacted your life, please take the time to share your story. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission.

Seeking Mold Experts

Are you an expert in the treatment of mold-affected health illnesses, or a provider of services to victims of mycotoxin exposure? Submit your information for listing consideration in our Agencies & Experts resource database.

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Discussion Board
  • Survivor Resources
  • General Inquiries
  • Legal Disclaimer

© Copyright - Mold-Help Organization
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Mold Basics
  • Resources and Tools
  • Agencies & Experts
  • Mold News
  • About Mold-Help
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds: