Sad tales fill soaked libraries

Two tales emerge in the saga of Iowa’s libraries and the floods.

In one story, the majority of facilities escape the murky water that hit about two weeks ago and become important information hubs, where residents can go online and apply for aid, send e-mails or use maps to traverse around closed roads.

The other account details the harrowing losses of a handful of libraries smacked by the surging waters, including in Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s second-largest city.