Colorado State Announces Purchase of More Than 6,000 Replacementbooks, Shuttle Bus Program, Post-Flood Services to Assist Campuswith Library Materials

Colorado State University officials today announced plans to buy more than 6,000 new books immediately and use everything from shuttle buses to the Internet to provide library service to the campus following the recent flood that damaged nearly 500,000 books, journals and other library materials at the Morgan Library.

"We understand that the library is a vital service to the campus community and are taking every measure possible to alleviate the inconveniences this flood has caused," said Camila Alire, dean of libraries at Colorado State. "While we are offering all of the services provided prior to the flood, we also ask students and faculty for their patience during this period of transition and suggest they plan ahead when requesting library books or other reference materials."

Library officials placed an order last week to immediately replace the 6,241 most frequently checked-out books from among those damaged in the flood. In addition to offering a special shuttle bus service to nearby university libraries that will be launched on Monday, library officials also will provide special electronic services and links as well as interlibrary loan options for Colorado State students, faculty and staff. (A listing of services and details follows.)

Nearly 500,000 books, journals and periodicals housed in the basement of the library sustained water damage in the flood. Cleanup crews have been working tirelessly since the flood to remove those books from the library so they can ultimately be restored to useable condition. Because that restoration process could take up to two years to complete, the university has instituted numerous steps to provide library service to students and faculty.

"There’s no easy way to deal with the type of damage suffered at the Morgan Library, and things will not be back to normal in the short term," said Alire. "Through these various steps, Colorado State is trying to provide as much access to materials as possible. It won’t always be convenient, but we’ll do everything we can to make sure the materials are available."

An outline of library services:

  • The university will offer bus transportation to students and faculty from Colorado State to other major libraries in the region. Buses will leave from the Transfort Transit Center on University Avenue, south of the Lory Student Center. The bus service is free, but students, faculty and staff will have to make reservations by calling 491-0016. Getting on the buses and checking out books at other universities’ libraries will require a Colorado State University identification card. Buses will go to the following universities, beginning Monday:
  • University of Colorado-Boulder: Four trips daily Sunday- Thursday, and two on Friday.
  • University of Denver and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver: Three trips daily on Tuesday and Wednesday.
  • University of Northern Colorado, Greeley: Four trips on Thursday and two on Friday.
  • University of Wyoming, Laramie: Three trips on Monday. Library patrons are advised to talk to Morgan Library reference staff in Room 227 Weber Building, 491-1841, about which library would be best to find specific materials.

The Morgan Library has obtained priority status on the interlibrary loan program established with university libraries throughout Colorado and southern Wyoming. That means requests for book titles lost in the flood will have first priority at other participating libraries. Books, journals or other materials requested through the interlibrary loan program will be sent or delivered to any campus address. Those who use the ILL are asked not to return materials until the Morgan Library reopens. For information or help with interlibrary loans, call (970) 491-1866.

To check availability of books at other libraries statewide or request a library book through the interlibrary loan program, students, faculty and staff may also access the library’s own online catalog and networked databases, known as SAGE. Because SAGE is linked to other academic and public libraries statewide, users can search the database to identify which libraries have specific book titles on the shelves. Then, they can either take a shuttle bus to the appropriate location or request that books or documents be delivered to a campus address. Users may access the Web version of SAGE by selecting "Libraries" on the University Home Page at http://www.colostate.edu. Telnet access to SAGE at sage.colostate.edu also is available.

Students, faculty and staff should also be aware they are able to check out materials at all academic and most public libraries in Colorado and the University of Wyoming with a Colorado State identification card. Library staff recommend that users first contact their library of choice for hours of operation and any other instructions.

Reference assistance, including help with searching SAGE and other online databases is available on campus at the Mac Lab, Room 227 Weber Building. The temporary reference desk is staffed 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call (970) 491-1841.

Reserve materials for fall semester classes are being accepted from professors and processed at Room 207 Weber Building on campus. Library staff also will take requests for library materials that can be processed once the Morgan Library is open. Recorded information on the status of reserve material processing is available at (970) 491-1831 and the hotline is updated when appropriate.

All books that were overdue at the time of the flood are being renewed automatically. Patrons with books are asked to wait to return them until the library reopens. However, those who wish to return books may do so at the front entrance of the Morgan Library 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fort Collins Public Library also has offered to accept Colorado State library books at any of its branches or bookdrop locations.