4.24.2007

When It Rains.... (You Know the Rest)

aka: "A Sluggish Network Isn't My Biggest Problem..."


(This may be a tad bit of a personal post, but it concerns the library.)

Our library network has been sluggish since Saturday. On Saturday, when I attempted to copy thirty of the Denton Reads photos onto my hard-drive, I was informed that it would take 30 minutes... and then it crashed. On Sunday, I was able to copy two photos at time within 3 minutes. Today, I got all fifty or so transferred in about 15 minutes... until the network slogged again, and now I can barely open a folder. Or a text file.

About half an hour ago, the power went out. It was only 30 seconds, but as I fumbled for the flashlight we keep at the desk, it felt like a lifetime. And indeed, it took about a lifetime to reboot the computer once the power came back on--that only angered the network.

Curious about the weather, a staff member and I went to look out one of the windows on our floor--and were flabbergasted at the sight you see in this post. The sunken fountain area in front of our library, several steps deep, is completely filled with water. It's over people's knees. One of the library stairwells has been closed, because apparently the area behind the library is rapidly filling with water, as well. Oh, and what's one of the rooms on the ground floor that's flooding? The server room.

This will teach me not to laugh at those flash flood warnings!

We've had weather alerts off and on since around noon today--severe thunderstorms, hail, tornados--but by the time we were alerted, it was already too bad for me to drive home. I'm scheduled until 9pm tonight, and at this point it seems like a good thing, because maybe it will have blown over by then.

That is, of course, assuming that the library parking lot isn't already flooded.

What a great day to wear my new leather sneakers.

Update: A staff member who just got home called me to let me know that they are closing down streets all across Denton. Hope I can get home...

5 comments:

Amanda said...

I'm at work too (until 9:30 PM), 30 miles from home. Isn't that about how far you are too?

WHY is it that libraries tend to put some of the most valuable stuff (servers, special collections) in the basement or on the top floor (most vulnerable to tornado damage)?

Hope you do/did make it home safely...

Unknown said...

I know it's awful, but my first reaction was - wow, the fountain area looks so much better than it did in december!

the server room was affected? i thought that the worst basement area was the area where the snack machines were/are - how bad did the server room get?!?

Starrlett said...

Oh yeah Val, I need to take and post some photos of the work on the Library Mall; it's *done*!!! They put up rock work, three new fountains, and replaced a bunch of the nasty concrete with red brick.

And suspiciously, most of the work was done over Spring Break, done the day before new President Bataille's inauguration. Hmmmm, someone lit a fire there.

Starrlett said...

I don't know how bad the server room got--Cathy said alarms were going off all over the place--but the vending area is the stairwell that was locked/inaccessible.

Auntie K said...

yes, photos of the mall, please!