Try not to do anything hastily and telephone a local conservator for advice.

Water
Water damage most commonly occurs from poor storage and neglect in the roof or cellar of a building, house, shed, barn; or plumbing problems such as burst pipes.
Water can be the least worrying of all disasters if action is taken promptly and without panic.

Volumes seldom become saturated over a short period and many inks and papers are surprisingly stable.
When a major incident occurs call the Emergency Services and follow their instructions, but a small mopping up exercise can be handled successfully by D.I.Y.
Be mindful of your health and wear goggles and gloves if sewage or caustic liquids are involved.    

In these cases it is advisable to call in an expert.

Start by carefully separating items and air-dry them.

A cold fan is a useful tool to gently dry the documents and keep the air circulated, (be careful of the use of heat as it can cause its own problems).   
Use white fabric or blotting paper as support material for fragile paper.      
Do not try to remove dirt until the paper is dry, as it is less likely to smear or become ingrained.       
Discard any packaging material that is dispensable.       
Be aware that wet books and stacks of paper are very heavy, are tiring to move and can cause physical injuries.

Mould
Once wet, documents are very susceptible to mould growth if warmth and bacteria are present and can lie dormant for years.         
If a pile of wet papers have air gaps, it will only take 24 hours or less for moulds to grow of every dazzling colour of the rainbow (I particularly like the pink and yellow varieties.)
Wet volumes slightly open can also be vulnerable.    
Books on a shelf will grow mould in the gaps between and around the edges of the covers.      
Remove frames from paper art works as these set up a microclimate once wet. Isolate infected material and separate sheets singly as described.      
Fan out books standing on their bottom edges as widely and loosely as they will go without damaging the stitching or spine.      
Wear a mask and protective clothing.

Once mould has stained paper it is impossible to remove, without the use of chemicals that are almost never used in Archive conservation.    
‘Works of Art’ on paper that must look clean for aesthetic reasons are best treated by an Art restorer.      
It is always better to avoid the circumstances that encourage its growth.      Moulds contain millions of spores and inhabit the structure of paper.      
They grow in every direction and are very invasive.     
Generally moulds are more likely to occur when humidity level rises above 65% and the temperature above 22C.     
Mould is delicious food for vermin.

Fire
The smoke and flames of fire and the good offices of the Fire Service’ hoses, can completely destroy documents without trace, but some smoke damaged or charred documents can still be rescued and read.
This is best left to conservation professionals.        
The material Dri-Chem sponge was developed to clean smoke damaged articles: see ‘Conservation Suppliers’  page.

Infestation
Insects and vermin are a problem found in the home and anywhere there is food or the right environment.    
Mice and Rats enjoy parchment, their teeth-marks and ‘other’ evidence is usually obvious.
Silverfish, Carpet beetles, woodworm and moths live out their lives mainly unseen in our books and documents.
The evidence in holes, larval cases, frass and sometimes the insects themselves confirm an infestation.
The correct environment will deter them and in the spring, when they fly out to look for a mate, they can be caught with sticky traps, pheromone attractants and insecticidal spray.    
See ‘Conservation Suppliers’ page for information on availability of traps.

Children and Distracted Adults
The unintentional defacing of books and documents by crayon, pen, jam, perfume, hand-cream.
The pulling off of spines and headbands on books, dog-eared and licked pages, cigarette ash.
The attitude which says "these items are not worth bothering with".      
The blood, sweat and tears that is the unavoidable consequence of the quite legitimate use of documents.     
Remember however that over years the misuse by these small assaults, add up to what may be termed – a disaster.     
An archive thought worthless now, may in 50 years  be regarded as very precious.

Security
Theft of any personal kind is a disaster of sorts.    
Ask your local crime prevention officer to give you advice for securing your library.

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