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Miyagi Prefectural Library Closes Temporarily After Earthquake, Staff Rebuild Space Book By Book

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Miyagi Prefectural Library closes

Following the strong earthquake that rocked northern Japan on 16th March 2022, the Miyagi Prefectural Library announced that they will be shutting down temporarily in order to recover from the tremendous damage.

Miyagi Prefectural Library closes temporarily after earthquake

Miyagi Prefectural Library closes - books piled on the floor
Image credit: @Miyagi_pref_Lib

On 17th March 2022, a day after the earthquake, Miyagi Prefectural Library announced on their official website that they will be closed for the time being in order to concentrate on recovery efforts. 

For patrons with library materials to return, Miyagi Prefectural Library is seeking their patience, urging them to hold on to their items until the library reopens.   

Half of book collection piled on the floor  

Miyagi Prefectural Library closes - books piled on the floor
General section on the third floor
Image credit: @Miyagi_pref_Lib

According to the library’s Twitter page, out of their collection of approximately 300,000 books, over half have fallen out of the shelves. They even shared some photos of the library’s interior in the aftermath of the earthquake, showing the amount of books scattered on the floor, barely leaving any space uncovered. 

Staff restores space by hand

Miyagi Prefectural Library closes - staff picking up books
Image credit: @Miyagi_pref_Lib

Though many books were knocked off the shelves due to the strong tremors, the library itself appears to be relatively intact and has thankfully suffered no irreparable damages.

In order to restore the space and reopen the library to the public as soon as possible, the staff are sorting through the fallen materials and returning them to their rightful position, book by book. 

Miyagi Prefectural Library closes after earthquake

As of now, there are no updates as to when the Miyagi Prefectural Library will be able to finish restoring the space. But with the staff working tirelessly to reorganise the space, it shouldn’t be long before the library can open its doors to patrons again.    

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Cover image adapted from: @Miyagi_pref_Lib and @Miyagi_pref_Lib