Laura Warren, Fondulac District Library Reference Assistant, put together this piece for Library Lowdown, the library’s East Peoria Times Courier blog.
And We All Float On Alright…
The past few days here at the Fondulac Library have been action packed. We have had quite the flood, but we are all working diligently to get everything back on track.
Wednesday April 17, we noticed we had some water coming in, we cleaned it all up and thought we had things under control when the staff left the building early Thursday morning. When staff came to work Thursday April 18th they were in for quite the surprise. In the short time the building had been empty the basement was filling with over 5,000 gallons of water.
At once the staff began the effort to save the collection. Bottom shelves were quickly cleared. Books were stashed wherever room was available, magazines were moved to higher ground, media was carried off and furniture was carefully stacked and balanced wherever a dry surface presented itself. Due to the speed of the staff our collection has been saved with the exception of a handful of items. With the collection safe from the flood we turned our attention to getting the water out and to the other areas of the library.
A large truck pulled up to begin to pump the water out of the basement, a big red Bubba Dump arrived, and the clean-up effort began. Though our collection made it through pretty much intact, our storage area was not quite so lucky. As the water was being pumped out of the building, the employees suited up in big rubber boots and matching rubber gloves and the hauling began. Because you can’t run an elevator which has standing water in it, countless trips up and down the stairs to heave out water logged items from the basement took up much of our time. A seemingly endless parade of bags and furniture was marched out of the building to find a resting place in that towering red Bubba Dump.
Finally the water was under control and we called it a night, knowing Friday would be a long day. Friday morning came early and everyone returned with their gloves and boots all ready for a second day of similar work. Friday we hauled more material out of the basement filling up our Bubba Dump, and the clean-up began. By the afternoon most of the water had been pumped out of the building. The scrubbing, mopping and effort to dry things out was well under way. A small army of fans, dehumidifiers and other drying equipment arrived and was set up at once.
Saturday April 20, staff monitored the equipment to make sure our drying efforts were maximized while cleaning continued. Sunday continued with more of the same, the army of equipment in our basement humming quietly and standing vigil over water logged carpet slowly but surely drying walls, carpet, and anything else which may be damp.
Monday April, 22 we all returned back to work. The library would not be open, the building was not yet ready for the public to return. Experts came to check the safety of the building as well as how dry walls and floors were. Work on the computers was continuing, and we are closer to being able to reopen every day. Currently we expect to be open on Wednesday April, 24th if everything goes according to plan. The basement may not be open for a while, but we intend to offer as many services as is possible.
The staff here at Fondulac Library has been awesome. Everyone has worked so hard these past few days. The clean-up has been less than fun in many instances, but few complaints were heard. Bodies are tired but jokes have been many, as we continue to work diligently to ensure our public a safe environment to return to as soon as possible. We would like to thank you all for being so patient while we get all of this under control. Please check our web site or our Facebook page to see when we will officially be open.
Our thoughts are with all of our patrons who may now be dealing with similar situations. We wish you all the best dealing with the water that has invaded recently.
And you should be, too! Everyday, patrons ask us if we’re excited for the new building. How can we not be? Things are changing – and fast – here at the library. The next issue of our newsletter, Community Connection, will hit mailboxes across East Peoria in the coming week and debuts our new logo and a new format. Truthfully, we’ve had so many programs that we had to redesign the newsletter to make sure we can include them all! While the construction crew is busy working on the new building, the staff has been preparing for the move. The furniture and paint colors all have been selected. We’re selecting new books, movies, music, and audiobooks to add to the collection in the new facility. We’re cleaning out offices and deciding what to take with us. And, we’re planning celebratory events! View the construction’s progress at 
BY EMAIL:
Join us at Fondulac District Library this Friday, March 1, at 10 am for a special Read Across America celebration. Mayor Mingus will be stopping by to help celebrate Seuss-style! NEA’s Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading in honor of the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.