Yorkton Public Library has been stripped bare, but renovations have not yet begun and a temporary location is still weeks away.
A thin layer of water filled the entire building as a result of the July 1 storm, destroying carpets, desks, shelves, and a portion of the library's book collection.
"When we were packing them up, we found that we were losing a third to maybe even close to half of the books in different areas," explains Melody Wood, the library's manager of public services. The total losses are not known; many books were put into storage damp and may now be deteriorating. "We couldn't very well leave them out in the sun," Wood notes.
A massive effort by staff and volunteers emptied the library in the weeks following the flood while crews stripped the floors and removed moisture. The last of this work was finally finished on July 23, but the drying-out process continues.
"We had groups from Sacred Heart High School come in to help. The Dairy Queen even brought in their people and they helped do the packing. We had volunteers from our board, volunteers from family members It was just a terrific effort from everyone," says Wood.
Initial plans to relocate the library to a temporary site fell through when the city's first-choice location was found to be unsuitable. Other locations are now being considered, with the best-case scenario being a reopening date in mid-August.
"We will probably be asking for volunteers out there to come help unpack and set up."
In the meantime, the entire content of Yorkton Public Library sits in trucks and trailers parked around the building.
The library will likely operate out of the as-yet-undecided location with a downsized version of its collection for between three and six months, depending on the availability of contractors to repair the permanent site.
For now, staff members are working out of the Parkland Regional Library headquarters west of the city on Highway 57. The library is still accepting requests for holds, which can be picked up from headquarters daily between 12 and 5 pm.
Parkland Regional Library's other branches are still open and offer another option for patrons."They can still use their cards, and if they need to use computers, places like Melville and Springside still have computers to use free of charge," says Wood.
Late fees are being waived until the library is back in operation, and Wood says to ignore calls from the library's automated notification system. Late books should be held and not returned to the flooded building.
