Water pipe break floods KC library

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A water pipe break has caused between $100,000 and $200,000 worth of damage to the main branch of the Kansas City Public Library.

The pipe broke late Friday or early Saturday in a staff office area on the third floor of the building, damaging carpeting and a second-floor area filled with adult fiction and foreign language books. Some of the books had recently been purchased, said Jami Schaefer, community affairs supervisor for the library.

Several computers may have been damaged, but workers won't know for sure until they are able to turn the power back on, Schaefer said.

The library was closed Saturday, but most of the building was expected to reopen today. Three carpeted sections will remain closed today, and all areas of the library will be open Monday.

"It's bad timing for people who wanted to come out and do research, pick out a good movie or use the computers," Schaefer said.