Overview

• About 100,000 handbound volumes have been sealed in airtight sacks flushed with pure nitrogen for a six-week disinfection.
• After treatment, conservation experts will inspect and vacuum each book and earmark any beetle-damaged works for specialized restoration.
• Warmer Hungarian summers have accelerated beetle life cycles, prompting experts to cite climate change in the scale of the infestation.
• The drugstore beetle targets gelatin and starch-based adhesives in bookbinding and has infested roughly a quarter of the abbey’s 400,000-volume collection.
• The UNESCO World Heritage library, founded in 996, aims to reopen in early 2026 after completing its conservation program.