For years, there have been ongoing problems with climate control in the Special Collections section of the library, endangering the historical documents and materials stored there. In FY10, Town Meeting appropriated $10,000 for a study of the HVAC needs of Special Collections alone, development of bid specifications for a new climate control system, and possibly for interim measures (window AC units) to allow for improved climate control prior to installation of a new system. This $75,000 request would pay for new digital controls just for Special Collections, and represents one component of a consultant’s recommendations regarding the library’s overall HVAC and energy needs. These controls would be selected to be compatible with future improvements in the rest of the HVAC system, but would make controlling of humidity and temperature climate control in Special Collections the first priority in the larger project. For five years, the Town has invested in the conservation of historic documents housed at Special Collections. Making sure that the climate controls which protect those documents are working properly is an obvious and necessary investment.