By Lynn Blumenstein & Norman Oder

• Three libraries seriously damaged
• Seven libraries suffer "mild to fairly serious" water damage
• Volunteers save books in Iowa City
• Public library in Des Moines serves as haven

Flooding in Cedar Rapids, IA, caused the Cedar Rapids Public Library (CRPL) to suffer significant water damage. The floodwaters reached five feet of shelves on the library's ground floor, destroying the entire adult collection, but the children's collection on the library's second floor likely will be saved. (Here's LJ's June 20 Q&A with CRPL's Marie DeVries, plus photos. The library's web site is down as of now.) Some 100 blocks went under water, with 3200 homes evacuated, according to the AP.

The State Library of Iowa, which has been compiling information from libraries around the state, reports that three libraries are seriously damaged and seven libraries have suffered "mild to fairly serious" water damage.

In Cedar Rapids

The Cedar River, located downtown, rosen to 32 feet, breaking a 1929 record. CRPL, located just one block away from the river, was evacuated June 12. A photo of the area taken June 13 showed the two-story library—identified to LJ by a State Library of Iowa staffer as the building in the center of the photo with the diagonal walkway—significantly under water. According to a message posted June 16 by interim director Tamara Glise on the State Library of Iowa web site, "We are unable to gain access to the building due to safety considerations, which are of course paramount. We are all trying to take the optimistic view that our library is more than a building full of books: our treasure is our staff, and they are all safe."

Also seriously damaged in Cedar Rapids was the National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library."The staff of the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library does not yet know the extent of the damage to the Museum and we will not know for some time," stated Gail Naughton, president/CEO on the organization's web site. "We were able to remove many items from the collection to safety before flood waters came. The board and staff are holding emergency meetings to begin coordination of our plans for disaster recovery."

In Des Moines, library proves central
In Des Moines, the threat of floods led city officials to turn the central library of the Des Moines Public Library into the city’s emergency management center, housing several city departments and 170 employees, including the offices of the mayor and City Council. With the library's meeting rooms housing the City Council, all events scheduled for meeting rooms through June 30 have been canceled.

The second floor has been closed to the public, though library services continue on the first floor; while public Internet workstations are not available, the library still offers Wi-Fi. The city’s Action Center has been moved to the library, and the city's television station has been broadcasting from inside the library, as well.

Around the state
Both the State Library and the Iowa Library Association have compiled messages from libraries around the state. (Look to these sites for expected information on recovery efforts.) The Cedar Falls & Waterloo Public Libraries suffered two to three inches of water throughout the library basement, necessitating the removal of the carpet. The Columbus Junction Public Library was closed, not because of flooding, but because city officials need the library parking lot as they meet. In Coralville, the library reported being "deluged with patrons seeking Internet access."

At the university
At the University of Iowa in Iowa City, volunteers formed a human chain to move more than 100,000 books and other materials from the threatened basement of the Main Library to higher ground, reported the Des Moines Register. The Main Library took in two inches of water, according to a message on the State Library web site, and campus buildings were expected to lack electricity for a week, leading to expected problems with mold and mildew.