Shelter from the Storm

In Nevada, Iowa, the weather can be unpredictable. That was the case in 2020, when a damaging widespread windstorm—meteorologically known as a “derecho” storm—brought devastation to the region. Fortunately, residents were able to utilize Nevada Public Library’s (NPL) basement as a storm shelter.

“The derecho was traumatic and impactful,” says Erin Coughlin, who was NPL director at the time. “Many, across the entire state, lost power for days because of downed trees and power lines.”

There was another problem, however: Even though the library basement was available for residents to use as a shelter, some residents struggled using its staircase. And, to access the basement, there wasn’t any other option.

Then, in May of 2023, NPL was awarded the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant, offered by the American Library Association (ALA) to increase facility accessibility for small and rural libraries.

With the LTC grant, NPL was able to install two chairlifts—one for each of two stairwells—in addition to other disability and mobility aids.

The improved accessibility was especially helpful in May of 2024, when a tornado hit the southeast corner of Nevada and destroyed several homes.

“We had about 30 people seek shelter,” Coughlin says of the event, noting extreme weather has led to an increase in patron questions about the library’s auxiliary role as a storm shelter.

“As word continues to spread, we anticipate meeting that need [to provide shelter] for more people,” Coughlin shares.

Even without the threat of inclement weather, the enhanced accessibility features made possible by the grant are still being put to good use, says NPL’s current interim director Emily Holm.

“Our basement is used for many things,” Holm says, explaining that the library uses it for storage and to host Friends of the Library book sales. “We also have storage agreements with many clubs and organizations who use our basement to house records and files,” she says.

Holm says installing the chairlifts also introduced the possibility of even more potential. “Hopefully,” Holm says, “it can be a space that we can utilize more in the future.”

Nevada is nestled between Iowa’s capital, Des Moines, and Ames, home to Iowa State University. It has about 7,000 residents, many of whom routinely visit the library for programming and events like book clubs, craft nights, and educational hands-on activities.

“We have a lot of people who live here, who love the smalltown feel but also appreciate the convenience of going to larger communities for work or play,” Coughlin explains.

“We love that we offer so many things to our community—it’s been incredibly supportive of our library, so we feel really lucky.”

ALA’s LTC grants offer more than $7 million to small and rural libraries to increase the accessibility of facilities, services and programs to better serve people with disabilities. Nevada Public Library is one of 240 libraries who received funding. Of the selected libraries, 65% serve communities of less than 5,000 people. See the full list of libraries. 

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Bill Furbee is a writer living in Kentucky.

Photo: A book sale in the basement of Nevada Public Library, courtesy of Nevada Public Library.