Recent rainfall, compounded with ongoing repairs after the infamous 2020 hailstorm, has caused water damage to some of the rarest and priceless collections at the National Library of Australia.
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While no irreplaceable items were lost, the collections housed on the top floor will be closed off until March 2023.
National Library of Australia Director-General Dr Marie-Louise Ayres said heavy rainfall had caused four leaking events over the past three months, with "quite a lot of water coming into the building".
"We're trying to take the top off the roof and replace it, while we're also in a super rainy season. Earlier this month, we recorded 88 millimetres of rain in a 24-hour period on the roof of this building. And when you combine that with replacing the roof, despite our best efforts, we simply cannot stop water getting into the building."
In 2020 the copper heritage listed roof was significantly damaged by hail. Works to replace the roof started this year. In addition, the building's ageing heating, ventilation and cooling systems are being replaced.
To combat leaking, shelving on the top floor will be compacted together and tightly wrapped in waterproof material to prevent water damage.
"The great news is no collection material has been lost, we've been able to dry and treat that material, so that it can be treasured for hundreds more years," Dr Ayres said.
"Our issue is with more rain coming and the roof replacement continuing till the end of March. We can't guarantee that the next big rain event wouldn't result in permanent and catastrophic loss to collections."
The newly closed section holds 11.5km worth of material, including one-of-a-kind manuscripts and rare Asian books.
Once waterproofed, the collection will be monitored to ensure the items are moisture-free and security staff will patrol the area.
The closure has drawn condemnation from the academic community.
Convenor of the Archives Liberation Front, Gideon Haigh blamed decades of government neglect, incompetence and philistinism.
"The state of our great libraries, galleries, museums and archives should be a source of national shame," he said.
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Historian and UNSW researcher, Professor Peter Stanley, claimed that Australia's institutions "are in a sick and sorry state - suffering self-inflicted wounds".
"Closing access to the NLA's manuscripts is disastrous, for serious and visiting researchers, and especially for postgraduates, who depend upon manuscript collections held here and nowhere else," he said.
"The NLA's roof saga has gone on for years, unfixed by a library management which focuses on gathering e-clicks rather than supporting serious research. It is a scandal, incompetence at the library's highest levels."
Dr Ayres said the library had retrieved 4000 boxes and volumes for researchers who were currently in Canberra, or had planned research trips within the next few months.
"That's taken up every available bit of space in the library, we don't have capacity to do more," she said.
"But I'm so pleased that at least some of our researchers are going to be able to continue the work."
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