Peter Scott's Library Blog directed my attention to this article, Dublin's building boom puts priceless books in danger. Some the oldest and rarest books within the library of Trinity College, Dublin have been damaged by building dust. The dust was analyzed to be mainly comprised of stone fragments thought to coming from the construction boom in Dublin. The Long Room, home to some of the oldest books, is a beautiful 18th century building that is unable to adequately keep the construction dust out.

"It's an 18th-century building so it's not designed to keep out a modern city. Dust will come through the doors and it will come through the windows, even if they're not open. They're not sealed - they're the original old-fashioned sash windows."

Heck, I live in a century home with gorgeous woodwork and not so wonderful original windows leaking cold air, I can only imagine what gets through 300-400 year old windows.

A team of four conservation assistants have already cleaned and stabilized more than 10,000 books, but a quarter of a million books still must be cleaned to prevent any further damage. The project is anticipated to cost approximately 2 million euro ($2.4 million U.S.) and 20 years to complete, because each book must be delicately vacuumed before dust and is removed from covers and pages with brushes and dry sponges.

While on my honeymoon in Ireland I had the opportunity to visit The Long Room and of course I was awe struck at the beauty of the building. However, what really moved me was the vast collection old books on the shelves spanning from almost floor to ceiling. It was almost as if each leather-clad tome held secrets from a past long ago. When I visited I had wished that I could have spoken with a librarian there to learn more about the collection and the library. Of course as a humble medical librarian who pitches almost everything older than 5 years old, I just stuck with the self guided leaflet.