A leak caused by clogged plumbing in a second-floor rest room has forced the Phoenix (Ariz.) Public Library to discard over 2,000 volumes.
Workers in the first-floor sorting area discovered the leak March 7, according to the New Times weekly newspaper, but it wasn't until the following day that it was learned to be sewage flowing from a broken pipe seal in an upstairs men's room. Further damage occurred when plumbers snaked the pipes, sending more sewage into the sorting room. The library attributed the clog to vandalism.
Library Public Service Administrator Rosemary Nelson told the newspaper that although the library discarded all books that had been in the area of the leak, each item had to be examined for deaccessioning. She said gloves were provided for everyone "picking up any materials that had been touched by this stuff."
Most of the books were new and recently returned titles. Although the damage is covered by insurance, Nelson said it's too early to estimate the cost.
Posted March 29, 1999.