Posted May 4, 2007.

University of New Mexico Fire Damage Totals $17 Million

One year after a suspicious fire destroyed thousands of books and journals in the basement of the University of New Mexico’s Zimmerman Library, university officials have assessed the damage at nearly $17 million—more than three times its initial estimate. The April 30, 2006, blaze burned more than 13 racks of bound journals and caused smoke damage throughout the entire building. The origin of the fire remains under investigation.

Although the library has since had a thorough cleaning and a portion of its first floor has been redesigned and rebuilt, work on the damaged basement won’t begin until June. The university hopes to reopen the basement in time for spring semester 2008. One-third of the library staff still works out of other library buildings on campus.

The university also plans to install a fire-suppression system in areas of the library that did not have one before.

Fran Wilkinson, associate dean of university libraries at the time of the fire, said, “We were all impacted by this event—personally and professionally. We have learned so much about ourselves and about the strengths of the library and the UNM community. Sometimes opportunities for growth are unanticipated, but I think we will all look back on this experience and feel a sense of accomplishment.”

Posted May 4, 2007.