Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester Public Library will partially reopen on Wednesday.

Library Director Audrey Betcher says only the first floor of the building will be open to the public while the clean-up and repairs continue on the upper floors of the downtown Rochester facility. With the partial opening, the library’s bookmobile will also resume its normal operations on Wednesday.

“Knowing how much the community needs the library, our number one goal over the last few days was to get open as soon as possible.” “It’s not a perfect solution,” says Betcher, adding, “A complete reopening is what our staff will be focused on in the coming days.”

Sections of all three levels of the library were soaked by hundreds of gallons of water on Sunday due to a problem with a water softener in a third-floor mechanical room. While the extent of the damage is still being accessed, officials have said the library’s catalog of books and other media ended up unscathed.

Betcher says a collection of thousands of donated books used by the Friends of the Rochester Public Library for fundraising sales were lost due to the water leak. Book donations are not being accepted at this time, but anyone wishing to offer financial support to contact the Rochester Public Library Foundation.

Additional information about the recovery efforts and library schedules is available at www.rplmn.org.

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