Punitive imagery abounds. Point taken, albeit with a grain of salt, since stern-faced Sterling is younger than many of the current undergrads' grandparents, and since the most notable high converse within its walls has been of a strictly carnal nature. The stacks or The StaXXX , per the much publicized undergrad skin flick supposedly shot there under the auspices of the mysterious Porn 'n' Chicken Society are notorious as the site for rampant amorous activity. Bibliophiles might argue that the stacks have fallen victim to another kind of slow-burn desecration. Bindings and scraps of book-flesh litter the floor.
Cellulose contains lignin, which creates acid by-products as it deteriorates over the years.
If the paper was washed with water that contained iron, the deposits will eventually start rusting and leave coffeelike stains. If the paper was bleached, it will start eating itself. Of course, nature and nurture always collude, and the Sterling tower has played eager host to no end of bad influences. In the summer, temperatures and humidity reached into the 90s. You put materials in a situation like that and you see a lot of the horrors that we've got.