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Kentucky Rare Books Survive Burst PipeA ruptured pipe attached to a rooftop cooling tower sent water cascading onto rare books and other materials in the third-floor Kentucky Room at the Lexington Public Library. The February 19 nighttime accident also drenched staff offices and ruined about 400 books in the biography section, forcing the library to close for a day and a half, the February 21 Lexington Herald-Leader reported.Some 25 of the wettest items in the Kentucky Room were freeze-dried and shipped to Munters Corporation in Chicago for dehumidification treatment. Kentucky Room manager Robin Rader told the Herald-Leader that the “heart and soul” of the collection, the Kentucky Gazette newspaper published from 1787 to 1840, was completely dry. Becky Ryder, head of preservation services at the University of Kentucky, who was called in to help with triage, praised the LPL staff for its quick action in moving books as soon as the leak was discovered. The library has posted a request on its website for donations of biographies on important historical figures and current public figures with last names in the ranges of E to J or M to R. The books must be in good condition and published within the past 10 years. Posted February 23, 2007. |
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