Responding to High-Volume Water Disasters in the Research Library Context

The University of Kansas (KU) Libraries comprise seven physical campus spaces with a total volume count of over 4.4 million volumes. The Libraries' Conservation Services Department manages a Collections Emergency Response Team (CERT), with representation across the library system. This chapter describes how, in the summer of 2012, the CERT's preparation was put to the test when extreme drought conditions in the region led to a water main break that inundated the campus art and architecture library. Over 17,000 volumes were vacuum-freeze-dried by a commercial vendor, and an additional 26,000 dry volumes moved from the space, which was rebuilt from the ground up. Lessons learned from that disaster were applied to a smaller, yet still significant, mechanical failure the following summer in the science and social science library, which wetted around 4,500 volumes and led to another contract with a commercial vendor. Insights learned from these experiences are shared in the following chapter.