This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The university is cleaning up following a pipe burst on the third floor of the University of Iowa Main Library. The pipe was located in a vacant office within the Special Collections and Archives and burst on Monday, closing the library’s Special Collection Reading Room.
The UI Special Collections and Archives is a segment of the UI libraries compiling distinct documents, manuscripts, and research materials often considered rare, delicate, or of historical significance.
Anne Bassett, University Libraries’ senior director of strategic communication and external relations, wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan that the pipe burst prompted staff to relocate books to different areas of the library.
“A water pipe leak on the third floor of the Main Library has prompted staff to relocate books within the third-floor Special Collections and Archives, as well as move books on the second floor to different locations on that level,” Bassett wrote.
A notice can be found on the library website stating the reading room is closed until further notice.
Bassett wrote water from the pipe went into the main hallway and adjacent offices where it then drained down to the second floor near the East Asian Collection. The water also infiltrated several offices in the Digital Scholarship and Publishing Studio on the first floor.
Three Servpro trucks were observed outside the library on Wednesday. Servpro is an emergency cleanup business that specializes in water damage. Bassett wrote UI Facilities Management are working to finish additional cleanup and are identifying what needs to be repaired.
The UI Libraries Special Collections & Archives Facebook page first posted about the incident at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, stating the reading room was closed.
Jen Buckley, UI director of graduate studies, responded to the notice on Facebook, saying a hot water pipe burst and expressed concern about possible dangers to people who were inside the building.
“It could have seriously hurt someone,” the post read.
Bassett wrote that the water from the pipe was room temperature and no staff were harmed. Additionally, she stated no materials in the Special Collections and Archives were damaged, materials were assessed and moved back in the East Asian Collection, and materials in the Studio are still being assessed.
A follow-up archives post on Wednesday expressed their thanks to staff as they work to finish cleanup.
“We are so thankful for all the help we received, and we are working hard with facilities to get the Special Collection Reading Room reopened early next week,” the post read.
Bassett wrote there is no details on the cost of cleanup at this time.
