Water

Flood damage, whether caused by extinguishing a fire with water, burst water mains, leaking roofs, sprinkler malfunctions, river floods, high sea tides etc. can, if left untreated, cause untold damage to library and archival materials. Irreversible damage can occur quickly if certain types of paper (i.e. glossy art) are allowed to dry out without proper interleaving with absorbent tissue. Water damaged material can also very quickly suffer from fungi attack if not dealt with promptly. Mould spores in the atmosphere soon find their way on to a natural organic material such as paper, cloth and leather. These microorganisms regard such material as a source of food and if the material is left untreated can deteriorate and become so severely weakened as to be unusable. Wet material should be deep frozen if any delay is anticipated in its drying out or treatment.