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SAUL LOEB/Arizona Daily Wildcat
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Rows of books dry yesterday afternoon on the fifth floor of the Main Library. A sprinkler malfunctioned yesterday damaging an estimated 5,100 books and temporarily closed the southeast corner of the floor affected.
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By Matthew Muhm
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday Apr. 3, 2002
Top floor of the library is expected to remain closed until noon today
More than 5,000 books were damaged at the UA Main Library Monday after a sprinkler head unexpectedly went off, university officials said.
The incident occurred on the southeast corner of the fifth floor of the library.
Steve Llewellyn, a library supervisor, said 200 shelves of books were affected - and at least 5,100 books were damaged.
University officials still don't know what caused the sprinklers to turn on.
"It was just a sporadic failure of one of the heads," said Jim Fromm, building manager for the Main Library.
The fifth floor was closed immediately following the incident, but sections of the floor unaffected by the water were reopened at noon yesterday.
The damaged areas are expected to remain closed until noon today, Llewellyn said.
The damage ranges from "slightly moist" to "severely wet," Llewellyn said, and the process of assessing the damaged books is ongoing.
Llewellyn said that although about 240 books in the area weren't damaged at all, some books will "undoubtedly" need to be replaced.
Satoshi Abe, an anthropology senior, was in the library when the fire alarm sounded.
"The alarm came on and everyone evacuated to the Mall," Abe said. "Then the fire department arrived. I thought it was a drill, but then the firefighters put on their uniforms."
Abe said he smelled smoke on the fifth floor when he re-entered the library, but Fromm said there was no fire and no smoke.
Fromm said the reported burnt smell is the result of an oil additive in the water - not from fire or smoke.
Llewellyn said that although some books are unusable, the library will request books through Interlibrary Loan should anyone need them.
Students inquiring about specific call numbers should contact the library for further information.
