Operations after Hale Library fire
A roof fire occurred at Hale Library on Tuesday, May 22. This page includes university communications about the building and network services after the fire.
This photo shows damage in the Hale Library Great Room, with several inches of with water on the floor on the west side. | View more photos.
Review a list of frequently asked questions.
Student form to submit questions.
Faculty/Staff form to submit questions.
Read a temporary format of K-State Today.
Timeline
June 18, 2018
Update 8:32 a.m.: The data center is running on normal power and the generator is on standby mode.
June 7, 2018
Update 10:56 a.m.: K-State Libraries staff and IT Services staff who were displaced by the fire have relocated to temporary locations.
See the K-State Libraries employee directory for temporary locations.
IT Services have relocated to the following temporary locations:
- IT Help Desk to Cat's Pause Lounge in the K-State Student Union.
- Network Operations Center to Cat's Pause Lounge in the K-State Student Union.
- Telephone operators to Cat's Pause Lounge in the K-State Student Union.
- Client Services and Desktop Support to room 204 of the K-State Student Union.
- Media Development Center to Cat's Pause Lounge in the K-State Student Union.
- Instructional Technology team to 2116 College of Business Administration Building.
- Instructional designer to 146 Unger Complex.
- Technology trainers/communications/ETDRs to 139 Unger Complex.
June 4, 2018
Update 1:17 p.m.: Following the May 22 roof fire at Hale Library, most of the shared network services are available for students, faculty and staff. This includes KSIS and DARS. Some programs are still being evaluated or are undergoing maintenance. A list of operational systems and frequently asked IT questions is available on the IT Services blog.
With an increase in network activity starting today, it is possible for stressed equipment to fail, which may cause temporary outages. Please be patient if an unplanned outage occurs. IT Services is monitoring all network equipment and continues to order and replace equipment as needed.
June 2, 2018
Update 9:30 a.m.: A library services FAQ is available at https://guides.lib.k-state.edu/faq.
June 1, 2018
Update 2:01 p.m.: Interlibrary Services are working and can be accessed at https://www.lib.k-state.edu/interlibrary-loanBelfor Property Restoration continues assessing damage, cleaning up Hale Library and determining what can be salvaged. More than 175 workers from eight states — Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Colorado — are working on site.
May 31, 2018
Update 3:55 p.m.: University Printing is open for business. Review information for submitting a job to University Printing.
Update 2:11 p.m.: HRIS is available to all employees.
Update 8:21 a.m.: Pulse, K-State's university event calendar system, is working.
The IT Services Walkup Help Desk has been relocated to the second floor of the K-State Student Union in the Cat’s Pause Lounge. The help desk can also be reached by phone at 785-532-7722. Plans are still being developed for other library services and will be announced as soon as they are final.
May 30, 2018
Update 7:25 p.m.: The Division of Financial Services is open for business but continues to experience IT system issues resulting from the fire at Hale Library. Read additional information about conducting business with the Division of Financial Services.
May 29, 2018
Update 5:51 p.m.: The university now has a replacement web server and approximately 80 percent of CMS websites have been republished.
Restoration continues and the remaining websites are expected to be live within the next two days.
More details and future updates are available on the Web Services homepage at https://www.k-state.edu/webservices.Update 5:20 p.m.: Belfor Property Restoration crews continue to remove water, moisture, smoke odors and other damage from Hale Library.
In the next 48-72 hours, IT Services will begin to test equipment from the virtual server system, which includes access to shared drives and files.
Library staff is working with insurance adjustors to complete a detailed inventory to determine damages. This includes both damages to the building, contents and disruption of operations. It is expected the process will take at least 30 days to produce an accurate estimate.
The university administration extends deep appreciation to everyone helping to restore our critical systems.
Update 4:35 p.m.: No CMS forms are working, including the Environmental Health and Safety hazardous waste pickup form. If you have chemical waste that needs to be picked up, please contact safety@k-state.edu or call 785-532-5856. Visit http://www.k-state.edu/safety/ for more information.
Update 11:37 a.m.: Restoration of the university’s network services continues to be a top priority. Webmail, Canvas and HRIS have been restored. At this time, HRIS access is limited to Human Capital Services personnel only. Student and financial information systems are the next priority.
May 27, 2018
Update 8:17 a.m.: Phone systems are back up and running to all buildings at the university. External consultants have been able to restore HRIS (enterprise human resources system) from backup data, which enables business operations such as payroll. At this time, access is limited to Human Capital Services personnel only.
Belfor, a company specializing in disaster recovery, is deploying more than 75 workers to remove wet carpet and ceiling tiles from the library. The company estimates it will take 30 days to get the building dry. Next steps are to get air flowing through the building, secure access and cover the hole in the roof where firefighters gained access.
May 25, 2018
Update 1:09 p.m.: Hale Library remains closed and there is no timeline yet for reopening. The university is still evaluating the extent of the damage. Personnel from information technology services continue to work to restore web/network services.
Update 9:05 a.m.: If you need to return interlibrary loan materials, please check them in at the Paul Weigel Library of Architecture, Planning & Design. Hale Library materials can be returned to Weigel Library or the Math/Physics Library. You can also return these materials to any of our book drops.
For questions about returning library materials please email libhelp@k-state.edu.
May 24, 2018
Update 4:46 p.m.: Internet connectivity has been restored to all buildings except Holton Hall. Webmail is available and can be accessed from the K-State homepage sign in. Canvas and ServiceNow have been restored. IT Services is continuing to restore services from an off-site backup. Read more on the IT Services blog.
A restoration company is on site and assessing Hale Library to begin the restoration process.
Update 10:01 a.m.: Students enrolled in an online May intersession class can access courses through a direct link to Canvas, https://k-state.instructure.com. Log in with eID and password. Email may still be affected. Contact intersession coordinator Jo Maseberg-Tomlinson at jam4545@k-state.edu or 785-532-2570 with additional concerns.
Technology services employees are working to restore other web and network services.
Update 9:39 a.m.: As Hale Library continues to be closed, anyone with books that need to be returned can deliver them to Weigel Library in 81 Regnier Hall or the Math/Physics library in 105 Cardwell Hall.
May 23, 2018
Update 6:39 p.m.: Fire officials have completed their investigation and released the building to Kansas State University's Public Safety. The Manhattan Fire Department has issued a release citing an accidental cause.
Next steps are to fully assess damage to the library contents and develop a recovery plan for the facility. Tomorrow, a structural engineer will evaluate the building and insurance adjustors will begin estimating the damage and cost of repair. The library will remain closed until further notice and access will be limited due to safety concerns.
Work continues around the clock to restore the ability to log in to web services, including Webmail, Canvas, HRIS, KSIS and other network services. Once access is restored, the university's web presence will be republished via our content management system. Efforts also continue to reconnect internet service to several buildings taken offline by the fire.
Please continue to monitor this site for updates.
Update 12:14 p.m.: For safety and the continuing investigation, Hale Library will remain closed until further notice.
Update 9:25 a.m.: Internet connectivity has been restored to all buildings except Bluemont, Chem/Biochem, College of Business, Dickens, Eisenhower, Engineering Complex, Hale, Holton, Justin, King, McCain, Nichols, Pat Roberts Hall, Seaton, Shellenberger, Throckmorton and Willard. Most central IT services, including email, websites and networks, are unavailable with no timeframe for restoration.
Update 8 a.m.: According to the Manhattan Fire Department, fire damage was limited to a portion of the roof of the original Farrell Library section with extensive water and smoke damage throughout. The fire cause is under investigation. The fire reached a third alarm before it was contained in approximately two hours and it was controlled in four hours. Seventy firefighters responded on 12 fire apparatus with the last units still on scene Wednesday morning. Hale Library is closed until further notice.
All central information technology services continue to be unavailable. This includes internet access, KSIS, HRIS and most webpages. Read the IT Services blog for more information.
Despite systems issues from the Hale Library roof fire, all campuses are open for business. Some operations will be affected and the university asks for patience.
May 22, 2018
Update 8:29 p.m.: Due to the fire in Hale Library, K-State must bring down its online systems to protect the university's data center. This includes HRIS, KSIS and Canvas. Systems will be restored as soon as possible.
Update 6:55 p.m.: No injuries have been reported. The building was evacuated safely and without incident. About 70 personnel have responded from multiple units, including the Manhattan Fire Department, Riley County Emergency Medical Services, Fort Riley and Blue Township.
Update 6:24 p.m.: The fire is contained. The fire occurred in the northwest part of the original Farrell Library portion of Hale Library. Hale Library will be closed until further notice.
Update 5:30 p.m.: There are seven fire department trucks on scene and smoke is still coming from the building. Please stay clear of the area.
Update 4:10 p.m.: The Manhattan Fire Department responded shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, to smoke reported in Hale Library on the Kansas State University Manhattan campus. The building has been evacuated. Please stay clear of the area. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
