The lower level of the Waidner-Spahr Library flooded on June 30 at roughly 5 p.m. when a catastrophic storm rolled through campus, resulting in sizable cosmetic damage and prompting the indefinite closure of the area. Water flow was concentrated to the Spahr side of the lower level (the quiet side), with flood levels reported by Facilities Management as roughly half an inch.
Faculty and student workers who were in the building that day said they noticed the flooding while waiting out the storm on the library’s main level.
C.J. Jacobs ’26, a student employee of the Archives, recalled “decid[ing] to take a look at Britton Plaza…and then [noticing] the water rushing down the stairs” – that lead to the basement entrance leading out to Britton plaza.
“It looked like coffee was pouring in through the door,” Jacobs commented. “The pressure burst cracks in the windows, so it was flowing through there too. It was just the muddiest water I had ever seen.”
Amy Ward, Dean of Library Services, commented that measures were immediately taken, as the library has specific procedures for emergent issues.
“That involves contacting DPS and Facilities as well as the Associate Dean for Access & Building Services and the Dean of Library Services,” Ward said.
However, little action could be taken until the storm passed. Jacobs recalled that Facilities was already dealing with a number of other issues on campus due to the storm and that “if there was going to be something to stop the water…it would have had to be done beforehand.”
Jacobs mentioned that present staff took some immediate measures to mitigate the damages, such as unplugging major electronics like the printers and computers and attempting to move the wooden furniture out of the flood waters.
While the water damage was concentrated to flooring and minor wall damage, the entirety of the lower section is undergoing carpeting renovations and all of the bookshelves and other materials had to be removed. Some of these materials – which primarily included the library’s catalog of periodicals, music scores, and microfilm – were moved to Archives, while the rest is currently residing in offsite storage. There was no direct damage to the library’s available collections.
Jacobs recalled teams from multiple departments working together to speedline the process of cataloging, marking, and preparing library materials for transport to their new locations.
Director of Trades Michael Kiner commented that Facilities is “looking to have most reconstruction work complete around Fall Pause.”
He also reported no financial concern for the school, as the incident was substantial enough to be covered under Dickinson’s insurance and is being handled by specialty contractors.
Roughly a year and a half after the top floor of the same side of the library was closed due to a mold outbreak – an issue that has since been resolved – the issue posed some concerns about additional mold issues due to moisture.
Ward commented that “the response from Facilities to mitigate the damage from the flood has reduced the concern of microbial growth in the impacted area.”
The library stacks are simultaneously undergoing a thorough cleaning process, and students can expect certain sections of the stacks to be unavailable in rotation until this cleaning is complete.
Services currently closed to the public at this time include the Alden Classroom, User Services IT Helpdesk, Study Rooms 9-13, Classroom 3, and lower-level restrooms and printing services. Unavailable collections include print music scores, print journals, and microfilm and microfiche. Students looking to check out materials from these collections are encouraged to submit an Interlibrary loan request to receive materials from other libraries across the country.
Ward shared that while the incident has affected the library team across all services, “I am so proud of my library team during these difficult times as they have been proactive, professional, and prompt in their efforts to redirect services and ensure our community still has access to quality services.”
She also thanked Facilities, citing their “expert in remediation and rebuilding” and noting that she is “looking forward to seeing the space when it is reopened.”
For more information about the flooding, current unavailable services, and alternatives, please visit the Waidner-Spahr Library website at https://libguides.dickinson.edu/serviceupdates/general.
