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Burst Water Pipe Damages
National Library of Canada Collection

More than 2,600 volumes were damaged March 1 after a water pipe broke at the National Library of Canada in Ottawa, soaking general stacks areas in the two basement levels below. A dozen people trained in disaster recovery rushed into action after a security guard found about an inch of water on the basement floor before the library had opened for the day.

Staff sorted the dampened books, mainly from the Canadian history section, and prepared them for freeze-drying. Some of the damaged books and documents were from the late 19th century, but none was considered rare.

This was the fourth water-related incident at the library since almost 8,000 Canadian official publications were damaged when a frozen pipe burst a year ago, according to the March 2 Ottawa Citizen.

The burst pipe was a 30-year-old expansion joint in the library’s preservation service unit in the upper basement level.

POsted March 6, 2000.

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Burst Water Pipe Damages
National Library of Canada Collection