[PADG:1758] Re: water deflectors for stacks

["Patricia P. Selinger" <pepalmer@xxxxxxx>]

I made the decision to purchase steel canopy tops for our compact storage
system, which has 90,578 linear filing inches and is manually operated by
mechanical assist crank.  The tops were purchased with the shelving
system and are attached by brackets.  The canopy top covers the top shelf
and is the shelf width of the shelves below.  (No break in the middle for
double-sided shelving.)  If the sprinkler system were activated, the
water would hit this shelf and cascade down the front of the books.  My
rationale for choosing these tops is based on the fact that the storage
unit is in little-used storage area where leaks could go unnoticed for
several days and dust accumulates rapidly.  The area where the shelving
is has a history of minor leaks, none in the last 5 years.  The library
is being retrofitted with a sprinkler system now, which I anticipated
prior to purchasing the shelving.  Our bigger problem is dust in the
area, and the tops reduce that significantly.  We cleaned the area
thoroughly prior to installation and cleaned the shelving prior to
putting any books in it.

I tossed and turned about this decision and hope I do not regret it.

Patricia


Emily Holmes wrote:

> Our insurance appraiser recently visited our stacks and suggested the
> use of plastic shields that fit to the tops of shelving in order to
> deflect falling water from a leak. He seemed to feel they are fairly
> easy to come by and relatively inexpensive. Does anyone on the list
> have any experience with something like this and have any information
> about vendors, costs, and whether or not the products out there are
> reliable? I'd appreciate any help you all could give me.
>
> Emily Holmes
> Assistant Preservation Librarian
> Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
> 70 Washington Sq. South
> New York, NY 10012-1091
> Phone: (212)998-2518
> Fax: (212) 995-4583

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Patricia Palmer Selinger
Head, Preservation Services
VCU Libraries
Richmond, VA
phone: 804.828.1096
pepalmer@xxxxxxx
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