Cold Weather Damages Pipes,
Causes Floods in Three Libraries
Extremely low temperatures in Canada and the northern United States in mid-January played havoc with water pipes, causing a few to burst in schools and libraries. At the Richmond Hill Central Library, near Toronto in Ontario, Canada, a burst pipe caused severe flooding of the children’s section on January 20. Beginning at about 11:30 p.m., the flood moved from a second-floor program room above the children’s area down to the first floor and damaged every item in the children’s collection, Library CEO Jane Horrocks told the January 23 Richmond Hill Liberal.
“It’s everything, books, videos, CDs,” Horrocks said. The books will be sent out for freeze-drying, and the section is closed indefinitely. “It’s disheartening,” Horrocks said, adding that “we’re working to rectify the damage but we don’t know when it will be operational.”
At the National Library of Canada in Ottawa, a burst pipe caused flooding of the basement the afternoon of January 21, forcing staff “to move more than 2,300 volumes that were in danger,” Director of Collection Management, Research, and Information Services Pierre Gamache told CBC News Ottawa. It also dampened preparations for the library’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Gamache added that “only four pocket books were damaged . . . so we can count our blessings on that.” There have been about 70 floods in the facility in the last decade. Head librarian Roch Carrier has been campaigning for a new building for several years.
In Flint, Michigan, a burst pipe flooded the Dryden High School library sometime between January 19 and 20, ruining about half the books and all the magazines and computers, School Superintendent Joe Keena told the January 22 Flint Journal. Repairs may cost more than six figures, as ceiling tiles, drywall, furniture, and cabinets were also destroyed.
Posted January 27, 2003.
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