damage from heavy rain - After water in the city library: "Somewhat lucky"
The Central and Regional Library (ZLB) in Berlin can breathe a sigh of relief after the water damage in its repository, according to its own statements. "We've been quite lucky," said a spokesperson for the ZLB. The Federal Archives temporarily housed around 70 volumes for freeze-drying. This process involves flash-freezing the contents, then converting the frozen water directly into a gaseous state. This allows it to escape from the paper without becoming liquid again.
The volumes, including magazines, all looked quite good, according to the spokesperson. The ZLB hopes to retrieve them by mid-August. Around 800 volumes and 550 records had been laid out to dry in the building itself, according to the spokesperson's statements.
Water reached the bottom of the shelves
Heavy rain about three weeks ago caused water to seep into the repository of the library's rooms in Berlin-Mitte. According to the ZLB, a rainwater pipe had burst, affecting a roughly 1000 square meter repository in a short time. The water stood seven to ten centimeters high and reached the bottom of the shelves. Damage was mainly caused by splash water and humidity. Many had offered to help, said the spokesperson.
The ZLB has two locations, both in urgent need of renovation: the Berlin City Library in Mitte, where the water damage occurred, and the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek in Kreuzberg. A new home for all collections has been sought for years. The ZLB supports the proposal by Berlin's Culture Senator Joe Chialo (CDU) to use the building of the Galeries Lafayette on Friedrichstraße for this purpose. The luxury department store has been closed since the end of July.
Despite the significant water damage, the ZLB is optimistic about the recovery of its affected volumes. Thankfully, the water damage was mainly due to splash water and humidity, and theenough volumes were saved for freeze-drying before the water reached the bottom of the shelves.
