Dozens Volunteer To Make Peabody Library Really Sparkle

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- What's the number one rule to deep clean a building with six floors of historic, rare books? Start from the top.

It's the blueprint dozens of volunteers are sticking to at the George Peabody Library in Mount Vernon.

As Gigi Barnett explains, they only get one day a year to make the "Cathedral of Books" sparkle.

More than 130 years old, the George Peabody Library in Mount Vernon is frequently listed on the world's "most beautiful libraries" list. It's not hard to see why.

Five tiers of ornamental cast-iron balconies that spiral up six floors of historic and rare collections, it's commonly called the "Cathedral of Books."

"They come into this building and they look around, and you see, they're like [jaw drops]," said Liz Mangel, associate director for collections.

But this place can collect loads of dust bunnies, too. That's when dozens of volunteers sweep in, dusting, polishing and vacuuming.

One day a year, they get free rein of the library -- and the work is labor intensive.

"Oh, yeah. From going all six floors by the end like right now, I feel like I just worked out. Unlike cleaning your house, it's not mundane. You may notice some cool stuff just moving through here," said Jeff Koch, volunteer.

Every year, the library itself gets a top to bottom wipe down, but the books--the historic books--they need a deep cleaning with a gentle touch -- and that is a tedious task.

"We'll use soft hair pony bristle brushes to brush off the loose dirt, and that will enable us to not damage anything," said Jennifer Jarvis, book and paper conservator.

Organizers say visitors may not notice the shine when it's all finished, but volunteers certainly will.

"I think it sparkles a little bit more when we're done," said Mangel.

While organizers say the library is clean, the job is never done. That's because volunteers were only able to clean books on the fifth floor. Next year, they'll take on the fourth floor.

The Peabody Library has more than 300,000 volumes, mostly from the 19th century.