Battle to rescue literary gems after National Library floods

Published on Friday 27 February 2009 00:53

MAJOR flooding hit the National Library of Scotland last night, after a sprinkler valve burst on a top floor.

The building, in the heart of Edinburgh, is the country's legal deposit library and holds many extremely rare items. The National Library of Scotland holds seven million books, 13 million printed items and more than 1.6 million maps.

The library's collection includes The Complaint of the Black Knight, printed in 1508 which is the earliest printed book in Scotland; The John Murray archives, including manuscripts of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, the First Folio of Shakespeare and copies of the Gutenberg Bible.

Up to 30 staff including specialists were called in to work through the night to save valuable manuscripts as water flooded from the building's top levels nine floors down to the basement.

Bruce Blacklaw, the press officer for the library, said water had been detected on nine floors from levels located on George IV Bridge down to lower floors on the Cowgate at around 6pm.

"We are not aware of any major damage to any significant collections or items," he said.

"There is some water in the collections' area and initial reports indicate there is some light water damage. The vast majority of collections are in waterproof boxes.

"We have a large team of staff, including preservation and conservation specialists, who will be working through the night to dry out some damp items and assess the damage."

Mr Blacklaw added: "The incident was contained very quickly. That said, anything which happens and has an impact is a matter for real concern.

"The collections are incredibly diverse and we are talking about perhaps a couple of hundred items. It is difficult to categorise precisely what they are right now."

A Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "There is severe flooding from the 12th floor downwards. It was caused by a burst sprinkler valve."

No other buildings in the area are thought to have been evacuated and no-one is believed to have been hurt, the spokeswoman said.

The fire service was called to library on George IV Bridge just after 6pm and around 15 firefighters with three pumps fought to clear the building at the height of the emergency.

Specialist salvage equipment – designed to preserve and protect valuable objects damaged by flooding or fire – was also sent to the scene.

The National Library is Scotland's largest and houses around 14 million printed items and more than 100,000 manuscripts, according to its website.

Its status as the country's deposit library means it is legally permitted to request a copy of all printed items published in the UK. There are only six such libraries in the UK and Ireland.

Since 1999, the library has been funded by the Scottish Government.