Catastrophe was narrowly averted due to a water leak at the Walter Geology Library in late September thanks to direct, coordinated action from library staff and Jackson School of Geosciences personnel.

The incident began with an unexpected leak in a wet lab on the fifth floor of the Jackson School, above the Walter Geology Library. The leak was discovered early Tuesday morning by Jackson School staff, who immediately alerted the building manager and the library team. Water made its way from a compromised holding tank in a lab, penetrating sections of the ceiling, flooding the library and damaging materials in the stacks.

In a show of composure, several University of Texas Libraries (UTL) staff members, some of whom learned about the emergency while on their way to work, diverted to the Geology Library to take immediate action. The response was focused, methodical and purposed at mitigating and preventing further damage to collection materials. The team swiftly began moving wet books to safer locations, covering vulnerable stacks with plastic sheeting and vacuuming up standing water to stem the immediate threat to the collections.

Once the situation was somewhat stabilized, the next priority became rescuing the most severely damaged items. Staff worked diligently to identify these items and began preparing them for preservation by freezing them in the Perry-Castañeda Library’s (PCL) preservation freezers. Freezing wet materials is a well-established method to prevent mold growth and give preservation staff time to determine the best treatment methods.

As soon as standing water cleared, the focus shifted to restoring the environment. Dehumidifiers and fans were brought in to ensure that residual moisture was dealt with effectively, minimizing long-term damage to the collections and the library environment.

Careful attention was then paid to the individual items that had been impacted. Teams of staff interleaved wet pages with coated paper to absorb excess moisture, unfolded map inserts to lay them flat for drying, and fanned out books to improve air circulation. This painstaking process continued throughout the day on Tuesday, showcasing not only the technical expertise of the team but also their unwavering commitment to safeguarding knowledge.  Staff continue to monitor the space and repairs to damaged items are expected to continue for several months.

The recent water leak evoked memories of a much larger disaster that struck the former Marine Science Library in 2017. During the catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey, library staff worked around the clock to rescue rare collections that were at risk from the rising waters. The response to that event, while on a greater scale, carried the same resolve as this week’s efforts at the Geology Library – demonstrating the immense dedication of libraries staff to respond to disasters that might otherwise destroy the collections they oversee.

Libraries are not just places where information is stored; they are custodians of our collective human record, preserving materials in perpetuity so that future generations may learn from and build upon the past. Emergencies like the leak at the Walter Geology Library remind us how fragile that mission can be – and how it truly takes a village of committed individuals to protect these collections.

From pulling books off shelves to quickly interleaving wet pages, every action taken by library staff this week was aimed at preventing irreparable loss. It was a stark reminder of the importance of collective action in the face of emergencies that threaten the Libraries’ commitment to the preservation of knowledge.

The response to the Walter Geology Library incident highlights an idea that lies at the core of every library: the mission to preserve and protect collections is not an abstract ideal. It is a hands-on, all-hands effort, and one that requires dedication, expertise and a deep belief that the knowledge of today is a legacy to the future.

“I am so grateful to our staff for a commitment to their work so pronounced that they respond without hesitation to challenges,” says Vice Provost and Director Lorraine Haricombe. “Thanks to the efforts of the people involved, over 1,200 books will continue to be available for use in research and scholarship for all those who might need them.”

Humble gratitude to all the people involved in this effort: