The books from the lower room

A pipe had burst above the library’s lower room, and we volunteered to move the affected books upstairs. The service lift had stopped between floors, so every load had to be carried up a narrow staircase. Several damp cardboard boxes sagged when lifted and needed to be supported underneath. Water had loosened the labels from the shelves, making it difficult to preserve the order of the books. In the dry room, the available tables were already covered with other materials. With nowhere to place the remaining books, we left the final shelves untouched until more space could be prepared.

Describe the difficulties encountered while moving the books. You may support your points with brief quotations.