If it's just water then it's not too hard but if it's mud or anything that might be contaminated then special handling is required.

Is it possible to quickly scan all the pages so that you can print them later? Hopefully her school still has a copy - you could scan that too.

Here is a link that might be useful: tips for drying wet books

Try putting it in a big box of rice to dry it out. They recommend that for phones that get dropped in water.

Seperate any pages you can, once they dry, they might stick together causing more damage.

Thank you so much ladies, I followed the instructions from maire_caite's link. It was timely, as we found an additional wet box filled with various memorabillia and photos. I will add the bed of rice tomorrow.

I will let you know what happens.

We are so fortunate that all of our friends and family are safe, but almost everyone in our family and all of our close friends have severe damage. It's been a long ten days of crisis management and cleaning, pumping, etc.

Time to rest, tomorrow, back into the fray!

riosamba - The tips I posted work well for water damaged books. When I was a librarian for the Free Library of Philadelphia we often tried to salvage books that had been returned with water issues.

I hope this works for you. Maire

What a well rounded group who participates here. Pure brilliance does exist. I'm never leaving.

Rio....Am grateful to know you and your family are safe. The devastation is beyond anything we have seen here. I am in western El Paso county. Keeping watch every day for so much happening in your area and ours. Please continue to be safe, I know there is more work ahead for you and the process an ongoing event with many needs. Sadly the restoration and cleanup has just begun and so many people without homes to return to.

Your grandmother's year book is precious. Hoping you can restore it. Biggest concern is the pages which are stuck together. Reading the instructions Maire posted is very interesting and usable info.

Maire...Thank you for your link. Do you know how to separate pages which have been melded together? The information mentions clay based paper being the biggest culprit. This also occurs with photos.

Technicolor, I'm also in El Paso county!:)

OT -- Maire I also worked at FLP from the late '90s to the early 2000's in the Development Office. I wonder if we were there at the same time?

Riosamba, I am so sorry that you and your family were affected by the floods. I have friends in Boulder, so I have been following the story. I do hope you are able to rescue your Mom's yearbooks and other items.

Hello everyone!

The yearbooks (we found another one) are improving, some of the pages that were stuck together can now be separated.

The newspaper clippings, commencement booklets, etc. are completely dry.

Some photos taken during my grandfather's WWII service were destroyed; they looked like Rorsach tests. Those were the only total loss.

Tomorrow I will be making a million telephone calls, trying to restore some order at home (we had very minimal water coming in here), and trying to get furniture to some who need it in temporary housing.
Thanks for all the help and kind wishes.

Riosamba - I'm so glad you checked in again. The news coverage of the flooding and devastation is unbelievably sad.
I hope you haven't lost too many treasures.

OT: dedtired - Oh what a shame - I was gone before you worked there. I was a reference librarian at the Northeast Regional Library and then head of the Lawncrest Branch. After the birth of my first child we moved out of the city and closer to DH's work. But I couldn't give up the library - I volunteered at my kids' school library for years.
I'm always amazed at the coincidences that connect so many of us here.

Maire

Funnygirl....Think there are more than a couple of us from the area. Have wondered if any were affected by the fires and floods. Woke up at 3 this morning with a major down pour and hail. I will not complain again during winter about being at the top of a hill and not being able to get home. There are 4 small streams at the bottom of my street which are fed by those near the base of mountains. So many have flooded basements, plus loss of homes or cannot get to their homes. And only a couple of blocks away. Manitou definitely has had enough, the emotions of all has to be at a limit dealing with more.

Rio...haven't checked the rainfall in your area. Hopefully you can continue to dry out and last night's rain stayed away. What wonders these tragic events create. With all going on personally, you are actually going out to help others? A lesson of great generosity. Continue to keep safe.

Maire Cate, too bad we did not meet. I loved working at Central. It was the best job I ever had. I worked there during the Changing Lives Campaign for the branch libraries. I'm also involved at my public library now as a volunteer and a Board member.

To all the Coloradans, I do hope some dry weather is on the horizon and you are soon able to restore your homes and possessions. The pictures I have seen were horrendous.