The Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix was badly damaged during Saturday’s monsoon storm. It will be closed for at least the next few days for repairs.
Phoenix Public Library officials tweeted the news Saturday night, but did not detail the extent of the damage.
By Sunday morning, said the library will be closed indefinitely while the damage to the structure and material is accessed.
Phoenix fire Capt. Rob McDade said crews on scene first noticed water coming down the windows of the 5-story library and realized it was coming from the roof. Announcement as Seen Burton Barr Central Library Web Page (July 16, 2017)
McDade estimated that a punctured line from the rooftop was releasing up to 50 gallons of water per minute into the library. Video shot by Phoenix fire officials showed water pouring onto shelves of books.
McDade said crews tried to prevent as much water damage as possible.
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
