The central branch of the Greater Victoria Library opened hours later than usual today after a faulty water pipe burst and soaked several shelves of non-fiction books.

A facilities supervisor was on-site when he heard a loud explosion from the floor above and rushed the rescue around 6:50 a.m., said Lynne Jordan, GVPL deputy CEO.

"It was bigger than a leak, but not quite a flood, she said. "(The facilities supervisor) saw something was amiss, got plastic sheets and got it over the top of the books."Two non-fiction bookshelves were affected, but restoration crews won't be able to assess the damage for at least another day. The library has full contents and building insurance, Jordan said.

The branch, located at 735 Broughton St., is again open to the public but will close early at 6 p.m. because most staff were called in to deal with the emergency, Jordan said.

"We followed our collection disaster plan, and I can tell you it's well marked up today," she added.

dpalmer@vicnews.com