Library and Archives Canada will reopen today after a burst pipe caused damage to a number of books and closed the Wellington Street building early yesterday.
Chief Jim Corrigan said the fire department was called to a major water leak near a washroom on the second floor at 395 Wellington Street at around 2:16 a.m. The water went down about four floors to the second level of the basement and firefighters made chutes out of tarps to divert the water.
“The water damage to the building was zero,” Corrigan said.
The Library and Archives Canada emergency response team, made up of management and preservation and collections staff, was called in and began procedures to protect the collections, said Library and Archives Canada spokeswoman Pauline Portelance.
Portelance said a small number of books were affected, but preservation experts have determined that nothing has been damaged beyond repair.
Published material, stored in the sub-basements, was removed from shelves and transported to freezer units.
None of the documents in any of the exhibition rooms have been affected.
Cleaning and collections management staff continued assessing damage yesterday. Further details on the impact of the leak will be determined through evaluation reports.
