The Botany–Horticulture Library’s shelving structure suffered significant damage due to the 23 August 2011 earthquake. Shelving that had been moved 10 years prior was not cross braced properly when reinstalled. Quick action and a well-organized recovery effort allowed for efficient action when part of the collection had to be housed in another library. Other National Museum of Natural History libraries sustained minor damage, which was quickly addressed. Many lessons were learned about properly bracing shelving and ensuring the safety of staff when a natural disaster occurs. For the Botany–Horticulture Library, this incident also became an opportunity to rethink how the collection is housed and how library space for staff and library users is designed.