I had big plans to get a lot done today, then I read my email. Overnight we had a leak on the fourth floor. Luckily (?!) a student was sitting right there when it happened, so the overnight staff was alerted quickly and sprang into action.
Shortly after arriving on scene, our head of Shipping & Receiving told me he discovered the problem: a roof hatch was accidentally left open and the pooled water leaked from the mechanical room on the fifth floor to the fourth level where it founds its way out into the stacks.
Nothing was damaged, which is kind of amazing considering the ceiling tile fell down and there is about three inches of water in that large trash can. Our thanks goes out to:
- The anonymous student who happened to be studying in that very spot and who alerted staff to the problem (I wish I knew who you were!).
- Library staff, Annette, Stephanie and Stephen for their quick response.
- Charles and Pat from Shipping who helped identify the problem.
- Lester from Facilities who came this morning to fix the problem.
- Donny from Housekeeping who helped clean up the water.
- Jennifer from Conservation for help with draping more plastic this morning, and for re-ordering supplies for the disaster closet.
Hopefully I’m not forgetting anyone, if I am, thank you! Disaster response is truly a team effort and it is so heartening to see our team work together.
Three cheers for library staff ready to pitch in at a moment’s notice to prevent a small-scale disaster from escalating into something horrible (and also to alert students who care!) You are one lucky conservator. 🙂
Indeed we are lucky. Everything in this case worked as planned. How often do you get to say that?