Deferred Maintenance and Space Repurposing

Abstract

This chapter will review two issues commonly found in libraries and archives, especially those at academic institutions: deferred maintenance of aging facilities and the repurposing of space not designed originally for archives and libraries. These two commonly occurring situations create an environment which increases the probability of large and small-scale disasters. Using The University of Akron (UA) as a case study, the authors will assert that every institution with similar conditions should actively prepare for a variety of disaster situations. The chapter will provide numerous examples of these occurrences at UA accompanied by photographs that illustrate the effects of these catastrophes and emphasize the reality of such events.