Deb McLaughlin, COO and Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, provided the following update:

“On Wednesday, August 15, UMass Dartmouth was affected by torrential rain
that swept through the SouthCoast. In less than an hour between 9 a.m. and
10 a.m., the campus sustained almost 2 inches of rain, which affected the
Claire T. Carney Library.

As part of an ongoing 3-year renovation project, work was being done on the
roof of the Library. Water entered the Library’s fifth floor and water
leaked into the fourth floor. Thanks to quick action by members of Library
staff, books that could have been affected by the water were removed to safe
areas and the Library was immediately evacuated.

Staff from the University, the state Division of Capital Asset Management,
which oversees the renovation work, and Consigli, the contractor carrying
out the renovation work on the roof, acted to stop any water leaks, assess
damage and begin necessary repairs.

As a result, the decision was made last night by the University to close the
Library until Monday, August 20, in order to allow the cleanup, assessment
and repair process to move as quickly and safely as possible.

Throughout this process, the primary concern of the University and our
partners has, and will continue to be the safety of students, employees and
members of the community who use the Library.

Out of an abundance of caution, access to the Library has been restricted to
individuals who are engaged in the assessment and cleanup. As of today, the
University still expects the Library to reopen on Monday, August 20, pending
the results of the assessment.”

We will continue to keep you posted as we learn more. Again, we are sorry for the inconvenience!