Collections

Special rules apply to the use of historical books in the special reading area. Without prior consultation are generally prohibited:

• Bending open tightly bound books
• Inserting slips of paper or other objects
• Writing in and on the objects, tracing, rubbing through binding stamps

Bookends must be used for books with damaged or tightly bound bindings and for large and particularly heavy books. These are available at the special reading area in the University Library.

Historical books can generally be contaminated with substances such as mould, fine dust, heavy metals, bacteria and viruses. Dyes with arsenic compounds were used at times for the production of books and journals of the 19th century. Especially books with green bindings, edges, or endpapers published between 1800 and 1900 can possibly be contaminated with arsenic.

The different contaminants can be risks to health when breathed in or through contact with mouth or eyes. The University Library of Mannheim thus recommends the following general precautions when handling historical books:

• Wash your hands thouroughly with soap after using historical books.
• Don’t touch your face, eyes or mucosae during the use of historical books.
• Don’t wet your fingers with your tongue to turn pages and don’t smell the books.

For questions about the topic of special collections and their use at Mannheim University Library, the subject librarian for history is available to you.