News Archive

“It is quite extraordinary to think that we are all gathered here this afternoon because of a hail storm... 22nd of March 2010 is one of those occasions when anyone who was in Perth will remember just where they were when it happened. When I look around now it is hard to believe that two years ago it was full of sodden earth and water, and flooded to a depth of 41 cm, completely destroying the interior of the Library.”

– Hon Dr Elizabeth Constable MLA, Minister for Education


“While we’re here to celebrate the re-opening of the Library, it’s important to recognise the efforts of those involved in the long process of salvage, recovery and refurbishment. In particular I’d like to acknowledge the initial heart-breaking work of the Information Services staff as they set about digging almost one third of the education collection and a substantial proportion of the architecture and fine arts collection out of almost a metre
of mud.”

– Professor Paul Johnson,
Vice-Chancellor, UWA



On the 23rd of March 2012, two years and one day after the flood, the newly redesigned and refurbished Education, Fine Arts and Architecture (EDFAA) Library was officially opened by the Minister for Education, Hon Dr Elizabeth Constable MLA, UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Johnson, and University Librarian and Director (Information Management), Dr Mary Davies.

Although the reborn EDFAA Library has been open to students and staff since the start of semester, the opening ceremony was a symbolic moment for all those who had been affected by the events of that day in March 2010, particularly for those staff who remember vividly the initial days of the clean up operation.

On the night after the storm, Facilities Management plumber Derek Smith spent all night manning the pump that was sucking water out of the Library. When the site was declared safe enough for entry, Information Services (IS) staff donned rubber boots and sloshed around in the dank muddy conditions, moving debris, and salvaging as many books as possible.

“Everything had to be done quickly before mould set in,” recalled Gina Sjepcevich, Associate Manager of the EDFAA Library. “We had professional removalists packing books into huge cages and lifting them out with cranes. By the end of the week, they were wearing respirators – it was getting pretty smelly down here.”

In total close to 15% of the total collection was ruined: nearly 12,000 items including books, journal issues, slides, CDs, and DVDs. Despite this traumatic loss, IS staff and the Keys Bros removal team were able to save more than 53,000 items, a remarkable effort in the circumstances. Teams of volunteer IS staff spent many hours scanning the barcodes of the rescued books in order to ascertain the extent of the destruction.

Reserve and Hold items were the first items salvaged after the flood and were made available in the Reid Library straight away. Two weeks after the storm, all the books had been moved, dried, scanned and reshelved. EDFAA staff worked closely with Information Resources Access Management (IRAM) staff to begin the mammoth task of identifying lost titles for replacement and putting in place the processes for purchasing, receiving, and cataloguing thousands of items to rebuild the collection.

“I’m enormously grateful to the staff in Information Services,” said Dr Mary Davies. “Not only those that were involved in the flood clean up itself, but also everyone who helped provide the interim services to staff and students since March 2010, and also those who have contributed to the redesign of the Library and rebuilding of the collections.”

Dr Davies also acknowledged that there was a silver lining to the dark storm clouds of that day: “What in my view started out as a tragedy has actually turned out to give us a marvellous new facility.”

Gina Sjepcevich agreed, adding that the redesign and refurbishment of the Library had resulted in many improvements, the most obvious being the “wonderful natural light, which was always missing from this basement Library.”

Light pours in through the newly created entrance on the Hampden Road side of the building, replacing the plate glass windows that gave way under the pressure of rising water and mud.

“The new entrance to the Library heightens its importance and presence on site,” said the Minister for Education, Dr Elizabeth Constable, in her speech during the opening. “The light filled space has a lovely feel to it, the sort of place you would want to sit in and work on a term paper, or your thesis, or simply do a bit of quiet thinking.”

Gina Sjepcevich also pointed out that the flood damage provided an unexpected opportunity to update technology and have a critical look at the development, management and use of the collections. As a result there have been several significant upgrades and improvements:

• New group study rooms with multimedia equipment including electronic whiteboards and webcams
• Double the number of computers available to students and staff
• Increased and varied student seating, including new collaborative areas for group work
• An enlarged teaching room designed for flexible learning
• RFID technology for collection management and easier self-service loans

Honey Hiranandani, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts, worked on the design of the new Library. Art work by Craig McCormack, a PhD student from the Faculty, has been incorporated into the interior design, with several walls covered with cosmic images from his Honours project about the one hundred year starship, 100YSS.

Professor Paul Johnson echoed the feelings of all who attended the opening in the conclusion of his address: “We’ve got a much higher quality facility than before and one that will serve future generations of students and staff for many years to come.”

Media references

This article first appeared in IS News May 2012, edited by Kael Driscoll .