Help the Cedar Rapids Library!

pshrynk · 07-07-2008, 01:59 PM

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa Public Library main branch was completely wiped out by the floods this spring. They have nothing except what was in a few branches and books that are being returned by users who were not, themselves, wiped out by the floods. They are really hurting there.

They plan on accepting donations of books at some time in the future. Since I have started using the Kindle, I have not opened a p-book except for a few rare occasions. I intend to donate most of my p-books to CRPL when they accept them.

If you are interested and really need to donate now, the Marion PL is accepting some donations. Here is their website: http://cityofmarion.org/mlibrary

In the meantime, the CRPL has a temporary website to keep you up to date: http://crlibrary.info/

I figure that this community, of all those whom I know, appreciates the need for public libraries and could be of assistance to this very stricken city. Thanks for listening.

RickyMaveety · 07-07-2008, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshrynk

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa Public Library main branch was completely wiped out by the floods this spring. They have nothing except what was in a few branches and books that are being returned by users who were not, themselves, wiped out by the floods. They are really hurting there.

They plan on accepting donations of books at some time in the future. Since I have started using the Kindle, I have not opened a p-book except for a few rare occasions. I intend to donate most of my p-books to CRPL when they accept them.

If you are interested and really need to donate now, the Marion PL is accepting some donations. Here is their website: http://cityofmarion.org/mlibrary

In the meantime, the CRPL has a temporary website to keep you up to date: http://crlibrary.info/

I figure that this community, of all those whom I know, appreciates the need for public libraries and could be of assistance to this very stricken city. Thanks for listening.

Oh, I'll contact the guy that has all of my late aunt's books (the ones that didn't sell at the estate sale). She had a huge library (floor to celing shelves, on all wall space in a rather large room), and they might be interested in those.

Sparrow · 07-07-2008, 04:15 PM

Sad news indeed, hope they get back up and running before too long - but it sounds like they've a lot of work ahead of them.

DixieGal · 07-07-2008, 04:28 PM

Uh, one item, Boss: Postage

Can you work up some sort of free book postage for donors?

My local branch of the library burned a few years ago, and book donations trickled in slowly. It never recovered. I wish Cedar Rapids better luck!

MickeyC · 07-07-2008, 04:33 PM

I just cleaned out a stack of books I'd planned on donating to my Condo library but, if there was free postage to CR, I'd happily send them there

pshrynk · 07-07-2008, 04:35 PM

Dobt they're going to be able to help with the postage. They were pretty much completely destroyed. My nephew says that the entire public works section of the downtown may have to be bulldozed. It would be tex deductable, if that's any consolation. Me, I'm going to pack up my truck with everything I'm donating and drive to my nephew's and let him deal with it.

I'm such a great uncle!

RickyMaveety · 07-07-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cassidym

I just cleaned out a stack of books I'd planned on donating to my Condo library but, if there was free postage to CR, I'd happily send them there

Wouldn't the IRS allow that as a charitable deduction?? I mean ... the value of the books plus the postage to send them?? I would think it would ... and it could be a pretty nice write off.

BookishDreamer · 07-07-2008, 04:55 PM

This is from a news article linked to their website.

"Library staff members are picking out books to replace those that were destroyed. The library is still not accepting donations because it has no space to store books.

Soon, DeVries said, the library hopes to have something like a wedding registry set up online, where people can purchase books from a library wish list and donate them."

This is a good idea. My public library had something similar for a while. It allowed the user to buy via Amazon and the book would be shipped directly to the library. However, it doesn't solve CRPL's current problem which is lack of storage space.

Dreamer

RickyMaveety · 07-07-2008, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookishDreamer

This is from a news article linked to their website.

"Library staff members are picking out books to replace those that were destroyed. The library is still not accepting donations because it has no space to store books.

Soon, DeVries said, the library hopes to have something like a wedding registry set up online, where people can purchase books from a library wish list and donate them."

This is a good idea. My public library had something similar for a while. It allowed the user to buy via Amazon and the book would be shipped directly to the library. However, it doesn't solve CRPL's current problem which is lack of storage space.

Dreamer

OK ... well, trash the note I already sent telling Mike to send the books to Cedar Rapids.

Ervserver · 07-07-2008, 05:27 PM

I live not far from CR, also have relatives there. Its a mess.

BookishDreamer · 07-07-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

OK ... well, trash the note I already sent telling Mike to send the books to Cedar Rapids.

Hold on....not so fast.

Q: Can I donate books or other library materials to the CRPL?
A: No, not at this time. Due to lack of space, storage, processing equipment and other issues, we are not able to accept books or other donated library materials. Our librarians are working on an alternate plan for used books. In the interim, residents who cannot wait and need to donate used books now are directed to the Marion or Hiawatha public libraries.

I'm assuming this means you can earmark the donation for Cedar Rapids.

Q: If I can’t donate books and I can’t get into the building to help clean up, what CAN I do?
A: You can make a monetary donation to the...

Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation
500 First Street SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(Mail is forwarded.) Established in 1971, the CRPL Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that supports the library. Donations are tax deductible. The Foundation supports projects that public monies can not cover. For more information about the Foundation, contact Marie DeVries, 319-286-5982.

Q: When will I be able to donate books or volunteer?
A: As soon as we secure space, storage, and equipment, we will be in a position to deploy volunteers and accept materials. We will let the public know when that time comes. If you want to be placed on our volunteer list, please provide us with your contact information including name, address, phone, and email.

Mail: CRPL West Side Branch, 2600 Edgewood Road SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
E-Mail: libstaff@cedar-rapids.org Phone: (319) 286-5987

Dreamer

vivaldirules · 07-07-2008, 08:52 PM

Just for info, the U.S. Postal Service still has a "media rate" that you can use for mailing books cheaply (well, more cheaply). I shipped some of my pbooks to Minnesota for a charitable cause in December and 36 pounds (75 hefty paperbound books) in two boxes only cost me $16.16.

RickyMaveety · 07-08-2008, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookishDreamer

Hold on....not so fast.

Q: Can I donate books or other library materials to the CRPL?
A: No, not at this time. Due to lack of space, storage, processing equipment and other issues, we are not able to accept books or other donated library materials. Our librarians are working on an alternate plan for used books. In the interim, residents who cannot wait and need to donate used books now are directed to the Marion or Hiawatha public libraries.

I'm assuming this means you can earmark the donation for Cedar Rapids.

Q: If I can’t donate books and I can’t get into the building to help clean up, what CAN I do?
A: You can make a monetary donation to the...

Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation
500 First Street SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(Mail is forwarded.) Established in 1971, the CRPL Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that supports the library. Donations are tax deductible. The Foundation supports projects that public monies can not cover. For more information about the Foundation, contact Marie DeVries, 319-286-5982.

Q: When will I be able to donate books or volunteer?
A: As soon as we secure space, storage, and equipment, we will be in a position to deploy volunteers and accept materials. We will let the public know when that time comes. If you want to be placed on our volunteer list, please provide us with your contact information including name, address, phone, and email.

Mail: CRPL West Side Branch, 2600 Edgewood Road SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
E-Mail: libstaff@cedar-rapids.org Phone: (319) 286-5987

Dreamer

Piece of cake, then .... I'll just have Mike send all the books to the other libraries (with a note that they are intended ... eventually .... for Cedar Rapids).

I'll email them and get the physical addresses for the other libraries.

Thank you so much, BD!!

RickyMaveety · 07-08-2008, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

Just for info, the U.S. Postal Service still has a "media rate" that you can use for mailing books cheaply (well, more cheaply). I shipped some of my pbooks to Minnesota for a charitable cause in December and 36 pounds (75 hefty paperbound books) in two boxes only cost me $16.16.

Of course, this will be more like 1000 hardback books (I don't think my aunt had many paperbacks ... she was a bit of a purist). But still ... a savings is a savings.

BookishDreamer · 07-30-2008, 09:48 PM

I just received an e-mail from the Cedar Rapids Public Library. It sounds like they're making a little progress, but still aren't able to accept book donations yet.

Dreamer

-----------

Readers Rebuild!
Post flood message from the Cedar Rapids Public Library

You are receiving this e-mail because you have been identified as a friend and supporter of the Cedar Rapids Public Library (CRPL).

The CRPL staff, Board of Trustees, and support organizations report the following.

- As you might expect, the West Side Branch is busier than ever. This Friday, August 1, a Grand Opening will be held for the “West Wing” – additional space at Westdale Mall that will be used to expand the adult and youth areas. Join us anytime 10 am-9 pm! Door prizes & refreshments all day. Clifford the Red Dog and Curious George greet patrons from 3-5 pm.

- This Saturday, the CRPL Foundation will have a booth at the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market being held at Green Square Park. Look for the booth across from the Presbyterian Church on Fifth Street SE.

- The first floor of the downtown facility has been completely cleaned out and stripped down to its cement floors and steel beams. We imagine it looks like it did 25 years ago when it was under construction. The mechanical and electrical systems were destroyed and will have to be replaced.

- Library materials from the second floor children’s department are being slowly retrieved and placed back in circulation.

- The Board of Trustees is seeking additional temporary space. The square footage available at Westdale Mall is simply not enough to accommodate programming and approximately 100,000 items that remain in the library’s collection.

- No one knows if and when we will be able to return to the downtown facility. Planners and engineers are assessing the flooded areas and buildings and expect to have a report this fall.

- CRPL continues to provide basic information about programs and library status via its temporary website http://crlibrary.info We are working on getting our website and other services back online. We hope sooner than later.

- When Friends of the CRPL have secured new storage space and a drop-off location for used books and other library materials, we’ll let you know!

- Monetary donations are being accepted by the CRPL Foundation, 500 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401. We are humbled by and grateful to the many individuals, groups, businesses and organizations that have made contributions.

- Last but not least: Tell us how you use your public library. Do you have a story about using the CRPL for business research, online job application, employment or college searches? E-mail your story to m.devries@cedar-rapids.org

We plan to send library updates monthly or whenever we have CRPL news. Thank you for your attention and for supporting your public library!

Marie DeVries
Cedar Rapids Public Library
External Affairs Coordinator
(319) 286-5982
m.devries@cedar-rapids.org

07-07-2008, 01:59 PM	#1
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	Help the Cedar Rapids Library! The Cedar Rapids, Iowa Public Library main branch was completely wiped out by the floods this spring. They have nothing except what was in a few branches and books that are being returned by users who were not, themselves, wiped out by the floods. They are really hurting there. They plan on accepting donations of books at some time in the future. Since I have started using the Kindle, I have not opened a p-book except for a few rare occasions. I intend to donate most of my p-books to CRPL when they accept them. If you are interested and really need to donate now, the Marion PL is accepting some donations. Here is their website: http://cityofmarion.org/mlibrary In the meantime, the CRPL has a temporary website to keep you up to date: http://crlibrary.info/ I figure that this community, of all those whom I know, appreciates the need for public libraries and could be of assistance to this very stricken city. Thanks for listening.

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07-07-2008, 04:15 PM	#3
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	Sad news indeed, hope they get back up and running before too long - but it sounds like they've a lot of work ahead of them.

07-07-2008, 04:28 PM	#4
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Uh, one item, Boss: Postage Can you work up some sort of free book postage for donors? My local branch of the library burned a few years ago, and book donations trickled in slowly. It never recovered. I wish Cedar Rapids better luck!

07-07-2008, 04:33 PM	#5
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,732 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	I just cleaned out a stack of books I'd planned on donating to my Condo library but, if there was free postage to CR, I'd happily send them there

07-07-2008, 04:35 PM	#6
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	Dobt they're going to be able to help with the postage. They were pretty much completely destroyed. My nephew says that the entire public works section of the downtown may have to be bulldozed. It would be tex deductable, if that's any consolation. Me, I'm going to pack up my truck with everything I'm donating and drive to my nephew's and let him deal with it. I'm such a great uncle!

07-07-2008, 04:55 PM	#8
BookishDreamer Cultural Artist Posts: 1,128 Karma: 12829 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Georgia Device: Sony 505, Kindle 2	This is from a news article linked to their website. "Library staff members are picking out books to replace those that were destroyed. The library is still not accepting donations because it has no space to store books. Soon, DeVries said, the library hopes to have something like a wedding registry set up online, where people can purchase books from a library wish list and donate them." This is a good idea. My public library had something similar for a while. It allowed the user to buy via Amazon and the book would be shipped directly to the library. However, it doesn't solve CRPL's current problem which is lack of storage space. Dreamer

07-07-2008, 05:27 PM	#10
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	I live not far from CR, also have relatives there. Its a mess.

07-07-2008, 08:52 PM	#12
vivaldirules When's Doughnut Day? Posts: 10,059 Karma: 13675475 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX, US Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	Just for info, the U.S. Postal Service still has a "media rate" that you can use for mailing books cheaply (well, more cheaply). I shipped some of my pbooks to Minnesota for a charitable cause in December and 36 pounds (75 hefty paperbound books) in two boxes only cost me $16.16.

07-30-2008, 09:48 PM	#15
BookishDreamer Cultural Artist Posts: 1,128 Karma: 12829 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Georgia Device: Sony 505, Kindle 2	I just received an e-mail from the Cedar Rapids Public Library. It sounds like they're making a little progress, but still aren't able to accept book donations yet. Dreamer ----------- Readers Rebuild! Post flood message from the Cedar Rapids Public Library You are receiving this e-mail because you have been identified as a friend and supporter of the Cedar Rapids Public Library (CRPL). The CRPL staff, Board of Trustees, and support organizations report the following. - As you might expect, the West Side Branch is busier than ever. This Friday, August 1, a Grand Opening will be held for the “West Wing” – additional space at Westdale Mall that will be used to expand the adult and youth areas. Join us anytime 10 am-9 pm! Door prizes & refreshments all day. Clifford the Red Dog and Curious George greet patrons from 3-5 pm. - This Saturday, the CRPL Foundation will have a booth at the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market being held at Green Square Park. Look for the booth across from the Presbyterian Church on Fifth Street SE. - The first floor of the downtown facility has been completely cleaned out and stripped down to its cement floors and steel beams. We imagine it looks like it did 25 years ago when it was under construction. The mechanical and electrical systems were destroyed and will have to be replaced. - Library materials from the second floor children’s department are being slowly retrieved and placed back in circulation. - The Board of Trustees is seeking additional temporary space. The square footage available at Westdale Mall is simply not enough to accommodate programming and approximately 100,000 items that remain in the library’s collection. - No one knows if and when we will be able to return to the downtown facility. Planners and engineers are assessing the flooded areas and buildings and expect to have a report this fall. - CRPL continues to provide basic information about programs and library status via its temporary website http://crlibrary.info We are working on getting our website and other services back online. We hope sooner than later. - When Friends of the CRPL have secured new storage space and a drop-off location for used books and other library materials, we’ll let you know! - Monetary donations are being accepted by the CRPL Foundation, 500 First St. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401. We are humbled by and grateful to the many individuals, groups, businesses and organizations that have made contributions. - Last but not least: Tell us how you use your public library. Do you have a story about using the CRPL for business research, online job application, employment or college searches? E-mail your story to m.devries@cedar-rapids.org We plan to send library updates monthly or whenever we have CRPL news. Thank you for your attention and for supporting your public library! Marie DeVries Cedar Rapids Public Library External Affairs Coordinator (319) 286-5982 m.devries@cedar-rapids.org

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