| Contents | Idaho Librarian |
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THE FIRE AT BURLEY PUBLIC LIBRARY |
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By Julie Woodford |
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While the fire was considered small, it created a major clean-up project. Because the fire started in the ceiling, the roof had to be torn off and replaced. We did not lose very many books, primarily due to the quick efforts of library staff and volunteers who moved the books from the affected area, although we did lose a stored paperback collection. The major damage to the library resulted from the smoke that infiltrated every crack and crevice, every book and computer. Smoke filled the central computer processors, particularly in our servers that run full-time. Keyboards sustained soot damage that required hours of cleaning. We were able to save all but a few keyboards and computer mice. Two monitors received water damage. As for our collection of some 45,000 books, about 8,000 were checked out at the time of the fire and were not damaged. We were fortunate to work with a cleaning company that had experience working with library fires. They systematically cleaned the soot from each book in the library, and the library staff and community volunteers removed the clean but smoke-filled books from the stacks onto carts waiting to be moved into a small room for smoke removal. By sealing the small room, ozone could be pumped into the room full of freshly cleaned books, removing the oxygen and consequently, the smoke odor from the books and other materials. Starting on April 23rd, the books had to “ozone” for some 40 hours before they were again packed up for removal from the library. We then hauled the books two blocks away, ironically, to the fire station for temporary storage. This process took about two weeks, with the employees and many dedicated volunteers working every other day to remove the books from the stacks, put them into the small room, then remove and repack the books into boxes to be loaded into vehicles. On May 29th, we brought the books back to the library and began re-shelving. It took thirteen days to restock the shelves. With the exception of one employee, all of our library staff sought medical help for strained muscles and back pain. We found that the ozone created headaches for some people and we had to be careful about proper ventilation, with those people needing to work closer to the open front doors than the small cleaning room. In the meantime, the smoke and fire had left ashes and dust everywhere. Needing to move, clean, and ozone everything, the interior of the library was in constant turmoil. The service company systematically cleaned and dismantled every stack in the building. Every piece of equipment was cleaned and moved to the basement or to the Community Room for the ozone process. No drawer or its contents were left unturned. Trying to find everyday items such as cellophane tape or employee time sheets became an impossibility, and if the item could be found one day, it would probably be moved within a short time. Luxuries such as telephone books became moving targets. In order to negotiate the Community Room, where the library vouchers finally came to rest, it was a matter of snaking on one’s belly for a short while before vaulting over a chair. We found that we could use facilities at City Hall to open the mail easier than using our own building. After the stacks, furniture, and equipment were moved and cleaned, the walls painted, the carpet replaced, every computer tower and light fixture opened and soot removed, we resumed business. We reopened the library on June 21, a short ten weeks after the fire, considering that the entire interior of the library had been entirely disassembled and reassembled, handling some 38,000 books and materials a minimum of three times each. We offered an Amnesty period for people to bring their books and materials back to the library, but we sustained an increased loss due to people moving or materials not surfacing within people’s homes because of the increased time and collection strategies not resuming immediately after reopening. Incidentally, we were in the process of demonstrating how a library district works to our community during the time of the fire. We were very grateful to the DeMary Memorial Library in Rupert who serviced our customers during this period, and to the State Library for their enormous flexibility and gracious understanding as we called these employees at their homes for help. Our own employees were placed under tremendous pressure to resume the operation of the library and did so gallantly and without complaint even though they had just re-carpeted and painted the library only several years before the fire. The City of Burley departments were paramount to our quick recovery, and contributed limitless amounts of their own special humor. I have learned several things from the experience: ¨
Keep a list of my employees’ telephone numbers next to
my home phone.
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