Community Corner
Water Damages, Closes Children's Room at Wallingford Public Library
A sprinkler system was affected by this past weekend's extreme cold and destroyed most of the books in the preschool area.
The Wallingford Public Library’s Children’s Room is temporarily closed after water damage from a sprinkler system that was affected by this past weekend’s extreme cold conditions has destroyed most of the books in the preschool area.
The damage was discovered late on Sunday, Feb. 14 when the Wallingford Fire Department responded to an alarm and discovered a ruptured sprinkler head in the Preschool Area, according to library officials.
The damaged books were removed by Servpro, a water damage restoration company, and the library will work with Servpro and its contractors to restore the Preschool Area to its original condition as quickly as possible, according to officials.
Community members have rallied around the library and a GoFundMe account has been launched to help renovate the library and replace the books. You can visit the page here.
Library officials said the public’s response has been overwhelming and posted the following update on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon:
Our hearts are warmed by the enormous response from our community after a ruptured sprinkler damaged our Preschool Area and destroyed our wonderful collection of picture books. Please know that we are working very hard to restore and re-open our beloved Children’s Room as soon as possible.
Many of you have asked about making donations to the Library. Here is what you should know:
The Wallingford Public Library Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your contributions are tax deductible under IRS regulations. The Library always welcomes donations (http://goo.gl/5rnI4u), including your annual membership in the Wallingford Public Library Association.
You may request that your contribution be used for the purchase of picture books. Requests for specific titles, however, are not helpful at this moment (we love Goodnight Moon, but we don’t need 100 copies!).
Know that we are also working with our insurance company and we expect that present-day replacement costs for destroyed books will be covered. Our experience tells us that the insurance award does not cover the full cost of replacing all items. It will take time to grow the picture book collection to its former size, due in part to many out-of-print titles that we may want to replace. We are dedicated to supporting early childhood literacy and this collection is a priority!
Information about donating to the Wallingford Public Library is on our website (http://goo.gl/5rnI4u). You may also contact us if you have any questions. Thank you again for your support during this difficult time.
Jane Fisher, Director (203) 284-6411 or jfisher@wallingfordlibrary.org
Sunnie Scarpa, Head of Children’s Services (203) 284-6434 or sscarpa@wallingfordlibrary.org
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