Summary of Flood Damage 5-15-06

June 1, 2006 (prepared by Stephanie Staley, Technical Services Librarian)

• 5 book ranges seriously involved
• Approximately 8400 books where physically examined for water damage (call numbers: PS2052 1983 to QE395.M29 1962)
• A total of 224 books were physically withdrawn from the building due to indisputable water damage
• A total of 170 wet books were air dried, 139 were saved and returned to the stack, only 32 were damaged enough to be withdrawn after drying efforts

On May 15, 2006, a puddle of water approximately 20 feet in diameter and 2 inches deep covered the first floor in the area of the Main stacks PS2052 1983 to QE395.M29 1962 due to a leak in the sprinkler system

Working quickly, library staff began to identify books that were completely involved, i.e. soaking wet with no possibility of drying. These books were physically removed from the library within the first 48 hours of cleanup. The final number withdrawn from the collection due to complete involvement was 192 books. These books were scanned into the database and identified by status “h” for “H2ODAMAGE 5/06” and were then suppressed from the OPAC. We anticipate working with these records (e.g. collecting statistics, replacement purchases, etc.) for several months. Eventually, they will be removed completely from the database. OCLC holdings will not be deleted from World Cat until our records are removed from our database.

Many books were candidates for air drying. Dust jackets were completely removed, in many cases. Books were fanned to the open position and electric fans were placed strategically to encourage drying. After a week of drying, books were double checked and most were returned to the collection. Books returned to the collection were marked “506 Water Damage” in pencil, either below the barcode or on the top of the books pocket. A note was added to the item record for any book that was air dried and returned to the collection. Thirty two books were air dried but still withdrawn from the collection due to water damage but 141 books were returned to the stacks after the air-drying process.

It took approximately one week to examine close to 8500 items considered the most seriously affected. Each item was physically removed from the shelf and examined. Staff checked for damage in various physical parts of each book including hinges (front and back), inside dust jacket, spine, and covers.

It should be noted that besides water damage, other types of damage were identified. These included food stains (i.e. coffee, cookies, etc.) as well as many aging books with yellowing paper, covers, dust jackets, tape, pockets, etc. We believe that the rise in humidity due to the flood affected the glued parts of many books: we found many loose pockets and tape that was no longer adhering.

On Monday, June 5, book stacks in the involved area will be dusted and cleaned. On Tuesday, June 6, book shelves will be reinstalled and books will be re-shelved. During the summer dry books with water damage (which were returned to the shelves) will be re-examined for wetness or mold. All books involved should be checked again, possibly next summer, for mold or stains.