Iowa River 0 - Bibliophiles 100,000

A flood of volunteers have managed to save some 100,000-plus books from the rising Iowa River at the University of Iowa's main library. Fitness enthusiasts: take special note of the new U of I Book-Rescue Workout!

Unfortunately some other Iowa libraries were not so lucky (or didn't think to call for volunteers) and are now under water. How sad.

video via Iconic Books

UPDATE: The damage to the Cedar Rapids main library has been estimated at two-thirds of the collection, at least. What the floodwaters didn't get, the mold will. The building and the collection will have to be restored from the bottom up, and any help is welcome. Tax-deductible donations can be made online through the Cedar Rapids Public Library website, or mailed to:

Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation
500 1st St. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

More sad photos here...

via Book Patrol

Comments

[wil]

Cool.
----
Whoa, that's a LOT of water.

[Sylvia]

Spoken like a true desert-dweller. :)

[J.D.]

I'm happy of course for the U of I--their special collections must include some manuscripts by the highly-esteemed professors and students of their Writer's Workshop and would be major losses.

I lost three books to water in my basement last year and brooded for a week. I can't say I can empathize, but I can at least imagine how the people involved with the lost libraries must feel right about now.

At times like these I think about all of the literary works--perhaps masterpieces, even--that were lost to the world because of disaster.

[Stefanie]

I heard about this on the radio and was going to look it up. Now I don't have too! :) It's a great story. Iowa jokes are de rigueur in MN, but oh how I feel for everyone there right now fighting with the flood.

[ybonesy]

Hi, found you through Lirone's blogroll. I'm happy to hear they saved so many books. We were worrying about the college last week. I hope the worst is over.

[Sylvia]

Thanks for dropping by, ybonesy. :)

[Heather]

Oh, no...what a loss.