We had a bit of excitement at work yesterday afternoon when we had a severe rainstorm and the library was flooded.
Patou and I were sat at my office window, happily watching a large spout of water coming off the roof and landing on the Library courier's van when the "Help!" call came from the branch staff upstairs.
We dashed up, armed with buckets, to help out - drips from the roof in the Reference area. The photocopiers drenched, water streaming in at the front doors. I ran to get a broom and bucket and mop and began to try brushing the water away from the front door.
Gillian appeared, absolutely drenched. What had she been doing out in the rain? She hadn't been outside at all - she had been in the Children's area, hurling books off the shelves and over her shoulder as she tried to save them from a torrent of rain coming through the roof on to the shelves and floor.
With water coming through the light fittings in several parts of the building, the library was unsafe and we closed it. It took a while for the library to empty though - we couldn't chuck the borrowers out into THAT!
We spent the last part of the day drying off books, furniture, mopping water out of the carpte tiles and moving furniture so the wet carpet underneath could dry.
Today the library is closed and there are big fans blowing to try and dry the carpet before it gets too smelly.
At some stage all the books in Reference and Children's will need to go back on the shelves.
I have suggested we put the books back in colour order as I have recently done my bookshelves at home
- they will look much prettier and, though I can't find what I'm looking for, I do find other stuff I'd forgotten about! And customers come in asking if we have that book with the red cover . . .
