Description of the procedure followed at the Austrian National Library for the salvage of 40 cubic meters of museum and archival documents damaged by a flood that struck the Tirder Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum (Innsbruck) in August 1985. About 10% of the collections were lost, 30% could be treated easily in the conservation department of the Mueseum and 60% were salvaged from irreversibile losses by putting without cleaning them in a freeze-drying chamber at the Austrian National Library. The characteristics of the chamber (USIFROID SM.H.601) and the various steps taken for the freeze-drying according to the material composition of the damaged items are described. Special problems were presented by herbarium specimens, books and magazines printed on coated paper, and parchment documents with wax seals attached. After the freeze-drying, all the treated materials were sterilized with ethylene oxide.