CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – A former St. Joseph resident is leading efforts to restore a library that was destroyed this summer during the catastrophic flood in eastern Iowa.

The city didn’t flood in 1993, and no one was expecting anything until June 11, said Tamara Glise, the acting director of the Cedar Rapids Public Library. The former Central High School graduate found herself as acting director when her boss resigned a few days before the flood.

There was no warning on June 11 until City Hall called.

Staff, board members and volunteers had about five hours to try to prepare, Ms. Glise said. Staff left that evening with water lapping halfway up the hubcaps of their cars, she said.

The library is a 23-year-old, 85,000-square-foot building in the downtown area of this river town with a population of more than 125,000.

Collections on the first floor were prioritized with the art collection, which includes original drawings of Curious George, Paddington Bear, Babar and other works by illustrators of children’s books, drew top priority.

That collection was saved, Ms. Glise said. Historical items that were damaged have been freeze-dried and should be recoverable, she said. The rest of the book and media collection on the first floor including the computers were a total loss, she said.

Out of a collection of 300,000 items, the library lost 160,000, plus its building.

After the flood, no one could enter the downtown library building without a respirator, a hazardous materials suit and gloves, Ms. Glise said. The good news was that 32,000 items had been checked out before the flood, she said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has made an initial assessment of the damage that totals $18.5 million, but the final settlement could go as high as $50 million. The library board has announced that it will be 2011 before the current building or another building is ready to open its doors.

There has been some good news.

Garrison Keillor, the host and writer for Prairie Home Companion, sent a large donation, Ms. Glise said.

Mirek Topolánek, prime minister of the Czech Republic, heard about the flood.

“We accepted a check for $44,000 Wednesday night from the republic’s ambassador to the U.S., Petr Kolar,” she said.

Ms. Glise has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Missouri Western State University and a master’s in library science from the University of Missouri. Her brother is the internationally renowned guitarist Anthony Glise.

Before moving to Cedar Rapids in 1997, Ms. Glise worked for the St. Joseph Public Library, the Rolling Hills Consolidated Library and the River Bluffs Regional Library.

“She’s been a pretty extraordinary librarian throughout her career,” said Debbie Gentry, a librarian with the St. Joseph Public Library. She started a series of deposit collections for the St. Joseph library in senior apartments and nursing homes by getting a grant to purchase book shelves, Mrs. Gentry said. That program is still an ongoing part of the library, she said.

The library’s foundation is accepting donations at: 500 First St. Southeast, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 53402.

Marshall White can be reached at marshall@npgco.com.