List of destroyed libraries


Libraries have been deliberately or accidentally destroyed or badly damaged. Sometimes a library is purposely destroyed as a form of cultural cleansing.
There are examples of accidentally destroyed libraries by human actions. Other times they are damaged by natural disasters like earthquakes, floods or accidental fires.
Library fires have happened sporadically through the centuries: notable examples are the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, destruction of Library of Nalanda in India and the accidental burning of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar. Causes vary from arson to the sun's rays setting fire to leaflets through the action of a magnifying lens, as happened to a library in Northam, Devon.

Causes and prevention

In earlier times mildew was considered a major problem in many libraries and so the emphasis on library design was to increase air flow by, for example, leaving openings under the shelves in adjoining floors. In a fire the flames will be drawn floor to floor by the air flow thus ensuring the relatively easy destruction of a whole library rather than a small section.
Advances in technology have reduced the possibility of a library collection being destroyed by fire. These include water sprinklers, fire doors, freezers, alarms, smoke detectors, suppression systems, and emergency generators. Older libraries are usually converted by closing up air flow openings and installing fire doors, alarms and sprinklers. Air conditioning reduces the mold problems. These are all essential parts of new library design.
There is no recovery possible if a book is burnt so it is accepted that a better solution is to put out the fire with water and then dry out the books. As mold destroys paper the books are frozen until they can be dried. This process will damage the book but not destroy it and the information will be intact.
In order to minimize the possibility of damage from fire, or other causes, and decrease the time needed for recovery after a destructive event, all libraries need a disaster management and recovery plan. This can be an ongoing process which will include professional development following updates in technology for key staff, training for the remaining staff, checking and maintaining disaster kits, and review of the disaster plan.
In addition, fire-safety investigations are periodically carried out, especially regarding historical libraries. The Library of Congress, for example, experienced a year-long inspection in 2000. Before the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, the Library of Congress and all Capitol Hill buildings were exempt from safety regulations. Balancing historical preservation and contemporary safety standards proves to be a difficult task for "even a 12-year rehabilitation of LC completed in 1997 did not address many fire hazards". After the Compliance Office inspection, however, the LC announced their wholehearted commitment "to achieving the highest level of safety possible" and "the Architect of the Capitol and Library of Congress will report their progress to the Office of Compliance every three months".
Information technology is another catalyst for careful fire protection. With so many computers in libraries there "is a decrease in floor space and an increase in more compact and powerful computer systems" which generates more heat and requires the use of many more outlets, increasing the number of potential ignition sources. From as early as the 1950s the potential dangers of computer equipment, and the facilities that house them, was recognized. Thus in 1962 the National Fire Protection Association began developing the first safety standards specifically applicable to electronic computer systems. This standard is called NFPA 75 Protection of Information Technology Equipment. FM Global Data Sheet 5–32 is another standard providing guidelines to protect against not only fire, but water, power loss, etc.

Human action

Natural disasters

Fire

ImageName of LibraryCityCountryDate of DestructionAccount of Destruction
Library of CelsusEphesusTurkey262
University of Copenhagen LibraryCopenhagenDenmark1728 OctoberCopenhagen Fire of 1728
Cotton LibraryHuntingdonUnited Kingdom1731-10-23
Library of CongressWashington, D.C.United States1814-08-25
Birmingham Central LibraryBirminghamUnited Kingdom1879-01-11A fire broke out behind a wooden partition serving as a temporary wall during building operations. The fire caused extensive damage, with only 1,000 volumes saved from a stock of 50,000.
University of Virginia LibraryCharlottesville, VirginiaUnited States1895-10-27
New York State LibraryAlbany, New YorkUnited States1911-03-29
National Library of PeruLimaPeru1943-05-10
Jewish Theological Seminary of America libraryNew York CityUnited States1966-04-18Jewish Theological Seminary library fire
Charles A. Halbert Public LibraryBasseterreSaint Kitts and Nevis1982
Dalhousie University Law LibraryHalifax, Nova ScotiaCanada1985-08-16A lightning strike caused a short in the electrical system which started a fire that destroyed the top floor of the building which housed the library.
Los Angeles Central LibraryLos Angeles, CaliforniaUnited States1986-04-29 & 1986-09-03At 10:52 A.M. on the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm alerted staff and patrons of a fire in the library's main building. Over 350 firefighters responded to the blaze, which burned for about 7 hours. As a result, an estimated 400,000 books were destroyed and an additional 350,000 materials suffered significant amounts of smoke and water damage. Ultimately, the source of the fire was determined to be incendiary and began on the fifth tier of the northeast stack.
Academy of Sciences LibraryLeningrad,USSR1988-02-14The 1988 fire in the Library of the USSR Academy of Sciences broke out on Sunday, February 14, 1988, in the newspaper section on the third floor of the library. According to the library's acting director Valeriy Leonov, the fire alarm sounded at 8:13 pm, when the library was closed for visitors. By the time the fire was extinguished the following afternoon, it had destroyed between 300,000 and 400,000 books of the total 12 million housed. About 3.5 million volumes initially became damp due to firefighting foam.
Norwich Library –Norwich, EnglandUnited Kingdom1994-08-01On August 1, 1994, Norwich Central Library caught fire due to an electrical fault. Over one hundred firefighters responded as the flames escalated and smoke became visible from twenty miles away. Ultimately, over 100,000 books and thousands of historical documents were destroyed.
Iraq National LibraryBaghdadIraq2003-04-15
Duchess Anna Amalia LibraryWeimarGermany2004-09-02
Glasgow School of Art, Rennie Mackintosh LibraryGlasgow, ScotlandUnited Kingdom2014-05-24 & 2018-06-15On May 24, 2014, a fire began inside the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building at the Glasgow School of Art. The Mackintosh Library was lost in the blaze, however, all students and staff were directed to safety and no injuries resulted. The fire began after gases from an expanding foam canister being used in a student project were ignited from a sparking projector. At the time of the incident, the building's fire suppression system that had been recently installed was not yet operational. While the Mackintosh building was under renovation following the 2014 fire, a second fire broke out around 11:15 P.M. on June 15, 2018. Larger in scale than the previous fire, the damages that resulted destroyed all of the building's renovation progress, as well as part of the school that had been left untouched by the first fire.
Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences MoscowRussia2015-01-31
Mzuzu University LibraryMzuzuMalawi2015-12-18In the very early hours of December 18, 2015, the Mzuzu University library caught fire. Although the library's wooden structure and carpeting spread the flames rapidly, students, staff, and firefighters on the scene attempted to rescue resources by carrying them outside of the building and away from the flames. By 5:00 A.M., however, the library collapsed, resulting in the loss of 45,000 volumes. Following the collapse, a sudden rainstorm heightened the damage by soaking materials that had been previously carried out of the burning building.
National Museum of BrazilQuinta da Boa Vista in Rio de JaneiroBrazil2018-09-02Not yet investigated. See National Museum of Brazil fire. Museum library was also destroyed.