NEH Chairman's Emergency Grant - Library of the University of Puerto Rico, School of Law

FAIN: PB-261015-18

University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus (San Juan, PR 00925-2512)
Vivian I. Neptune-Rivera (Project Director: December 2017 to July 2019)

The acquisition and installation of dehumidifiers; cleaning and disinfecting of furniture; immediate drying, cleaning and disinfecting of texts and objects from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras School of Law Library that were damaged by Hurricane Maria, as well as the inventory of the books that cannot be salvaged, and separation and proper disposal of affected resources.

The Library of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law is a three-story building that comprises 74,000 square feet and hosts over 220,000 volumes.  On September 20, 2017, all three stories of the Library were impacted by wind and water damage due to the passing of Hurricane Maria.  The Law School Library is the biggest and most important legal library in Puerto Rico.  It provides services to the Law school's students and faculty, the whole of the academic community of the University of Puerto Rico Piedras Campus, and the general public.  There were significant damages suffered by the Library building.  The damages include, but are not limited to: carpets, roofs, doors, air conditioning ducts, windows, fascias, acoustic panels, elevators, artworks, furniture, lighting and general illumination, among others.  A conservative preliminary evaluation of the total damages in the Library amounts to over one million dollars.