An image from the basement of the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. Fatalities include: 3 bookmobiles, 4 computer servers, over 10,000 items slated for transfer to branches (i.e. books, DVDs, audio books, etc), new aquisitions (including new books, DVDs, audio books, etc), donated and withdrawn materials to be sold at an annual sale, 2 elevators, and $50,000 worth of new computer equipment.
Louisville Free Public Library Worst Case Scenario
The main branch of the public library where I work was flooded by a rare and insane storm experienced by the city on Tuesday. According to the local meteorology alarmists (AKA, our local weathermen—although, I guess I should give ‘em a pass in this instance) Louisville had 7 inches of rainfall in about an hour and 15 minutes, which did seem totally crazy. The basement was under 4 feet of rainwater in a matter of minutes, there was widespread electrical shorts which took out all power to the building, and later caused an electrical fire. Walls made with 100 year old plaster are buckling, sewer backup and mold make the library uninhabitable, and the elevators are a total loss. We’ve been told that the building will open again, with limited access and services, sometime in January (estimated). So, “complete disaster” and “crippling doomsday scenario” are not exaggerated phrases at this point.
I work for a branch library that had no rain damage at all, but the computer servers we work off at all the branches were in the basement at the main branch…so…no internet, no card catalog, no patron records, no service. Our bookmobiles were all totalled, about 10,000 new books and materials, along with $50,000 worth of equiptment for a new branch set to open next week, were destroyed. Instead of listing what we can’t do, I guess I shoud just say what we/I can do:
- I can rely on my somewhat-accurate memory of fiction writers to tell you where a particular novel may be found (although I cannot tell you if it is supposed to be in, or may be at another branch),
- I can rely on my surprisingly accurate and somewhat-in depth knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System to find a non-fiction book on a subject of your choice, or
- we can cross our fingers that my iPhone is getting 3G reception at any given moment (spotty service inside/near my workplace at best, AT&T—already regretting that 2 year service plan…) so that I can bask in the beautiful glow of the Internet.
It is pretty telling that the usual hustle/bustle of my little neighborhood branch has screeched to a deadened silence, breached only by the occassional interjections of a few smug oldsters. The sorts who were always making snarky comments before about there being no physical card catalog, so bitter and full of codgery about all the punk kids with their “MyFace” and their “SpaceBooks” and their “cellular phones” that seem to populate the library now, are having the proverbial field day: flashing us their best “I told you so” looks when they hear that we’re basically crippled by the absence of computer service. We’ve had to put up with a lot of resentful stories that begin with “In my day…” and “These kids today…” and “Well, I never…!” from these types (and worst of all, I occassionally find myself agreeing with them: me, one foot already knee-deep in fuddy-duddydom). Anyway, these are the only patrons I’ve dealt with on any level beyond the simple inquiries of whether our computers are “working” yet (they actually work just fine. If you want to write a Word document or play solitaire).
This situation leads to the real-life dealings with the inevitable—perpetual—Discussion-with-a-capital-“D” initiated in nearly every course I’ve taken in my library science grad school program thus far: What Is The Library’s Role In Today’s Society? This topic is designed to spark spirited and thoughtful discussion, and it usually does (along with the also-inevitable “Hey, what about that shriveled old-maid librarian stereotype? That’s totally wrong, right?” discussion thread), but I was hoping not to have to really see it in action like this. Pretty disheartening that as soon as the internet goes away, so do all the young people (and most of the old people, for that matter). If I had to state an average age of the patrons who are actually using the library during this crisis, I would put it around 75…that’s only 2.7 years below the current US life expectancy! So I’d say, at least for the public library, technology plays an integral role to its continued relevancy—and I absolutely hate saying things that sound like that.
More updates to come.
