So, when the Apocalypse DOES come... head to the... Library?! (Really!)

So, when the Apocalypse DOES come... head to the... Library?! (Really!)

Obviously, they are full of information, everything from mechanical, to electrical/electronic, to pharmaceutical, to first aid. But also... Maps! (Of the city, and surrounding areas) - 'member the Dewey Decimal System? Head to the 900s: geography and mapping - sewers, etc - safe travel, hiding and connectivity!

And, also... Safety! In post-Katrina New Orleans, one of the only resources NOT to be attacked, looted, and plundered during the crisis was the city library service (other than the wind/water damage). Not a single library across the district reported human damage!

With internet and cellphone services down, they are a central source of informaton.


What else would you be looking for?



- Source: History Channel's 'Apocalypse Man'
[above transcribed/paraphrased]

[I realize there have been other threads about the show, but I could not find one reference to this particular piece of info (certainly not a thread, and much less a single post, referencing it), which seems worthy of a thread of its own]

Good idea ,spend your last days creating a super army of nerds to repel the zombies and if it gets cold there are plenty of books to burn .

so i need to have my library card in my bug out bag thanks

This is a very clever idea.

And after viewing the reports from Katrina, it also appears to be very safe compared to say, football stadiums.

Anyone wise enough to show up there also will most likely be looking for solutions as well. And would probably be a good person to cooperate with and visit with.

We all know that books are kryptonite for criminals, so the odds of them showing up are quite low. Circumstances would have to be very special to bring them about.

Thanks for pointing out this most obvious fact.

Surely you would have maps and books at home already?

Yes!

Very clever idea op, it would be a rather quiet if something were to happen. I still wouldn't want to live in it though, its a very big place to defend it someone had the same thought as you.

It would depend on the nature of the event that depended if this is a viable idea.

Star and Flag

im sorry, but whaaat?? what is so important that you need to go to a library to find it, so when the goverment breaks down and shiz hits the fan you can entertain yourself with the newest twilight book? you should already have maps and the skills needed to survive, you shood be some where that has food and water and that is safe, you shood be scavenging the local aria for supplies not reading historical novels.haha. if it works for you go ahead, but i wood rather be with family, friends and a whole lot of guns defending the local wallmart.lol.

I think the few of you who have said that you should have maps and what not are absolutely correct, you should, but let us be real honest for a second. There are lots of things people should have already done, but the fact is a lot of people will still be caught unprepared. There are a million things people "should" have done, but a lot of people put things off to the last minute.

I consider myself to be a fairly aware person, but if the SHTF right this second, I would not be fully prepared. I have some food, ammo, a firearm, extensive knowledge of various parts of the USA. In my opinion I would be ahead of the curve, but I would still be unprepared in some areas. Namely medical. Not everyone knows everything.

As the OP stated, post Katrina life was very unsafe in the city and immediate surrounding areas, however no one went after the Libraries. If you find yourself needing some information after TSHTF you could very easily get in, get what you need, and get out. It might even be a fairly safe place to camp for a night or two while the unprepared are killing each other for food, water, or whatever. You can find anything you need to know about any topic that you may have overlooked. From emergency first aid, maps, herbal medicine, planting and farming your own food and survival guides. So while some my laugh at this idea and find it foolish... I certainly do not and I am sure if others put a little more thought into it, you can probably find a thing or two that you may have over looked yourself and not planned for.

reply to post by SquirrelNutz

I would imagine the library would be locked up..you'd have to be the plunderer.
Have heard paper ( books ) are a fair shield from radiation..true or false???
I tried to find out..this page tells me stuff I do not understand.
www.derose.net...

reply to post by njl51


We take instant information for granted now but it might not always be that way. I'm starting to put together my own library of books that would be helpful. Medical books will be necessary.

hmm, library

when i saw the topic, i quickly thought "the day after tomorrow", but information to handle anything down the road....

well, what if the library wont have "that" set of books you will need for a specific moment?

The title of this post reminded me of a forgotten memory. The college I attended to in upstate New York had a very large library. As part of my job I was trusted with a master key that could open any door on campus. You can guess the trouble that got me into. Nevertheless, I had heard rumors of a 50's era bomb shelter deep under the library, which already had public access floors four stories deep (and four high, if I remember). Well, we found it by accessing a maintenance area on B4, dropping another two stories in through various access shafts and broken walls. It was obvious that the place had been looted over the years, there were smashed crates bearing the medical cross everywhere. Virtually all of the medical supplies were long gone save for random packages of bandages and the occasional foil packet of implements. Food was gone too, but there was plenty of evidence of long-term storage rations. The best part was the water - 1,000's of gallons in lined drums. There were chambers full of them.

So - to tie this all into the OP, not only would this library serve as a wonderful repository of knowledge; if you had access to food and weapons the depth of the facility would protect you from elements above and the water would be like gold in a SHTF scenario.

Glad I still have a copy of that key. Thanks for the idea OP.

Awesome x 3!!!! S&F. You could not be more correct. If and when the Internet permanently goes down, we will all be back to print and analog sources. This is when the libraries will be our saving grace. There will be many people who do not have information readily available at home about survival topics like gardening, medical arts, animal husbandry for sustenance, DIY construction, navigating, and zillions of other subjects. I love technologies such as ebook readers and downloadable books not to mention the 'net, but this is one of the reasons that we simply cannot allow paper printed book and information sources to be totally discontinued or cast aside for the newer technologies. Over the ages, maintained collections of books and other materials that are printed word sources are the ones that have survived (next to handing down information orally to successive generations, of course).

There are schools of thought that believe some of our ancient earth cultures were in possession of very advanced technologies to allow such things as the building of the pyramids, the construction of Stonehenge, the statues at Easter Island, and the astonishingly precise carvings and buildings at Puma Punku. What happened to these technologies? They were "lost" to future civilizations, likely, in part, because they were never recorded via written language.

"I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or a gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am. I...am a librarian."
-- from The Mummy

with all due respect and in ignorance of the protocol in this situation...

you gotta be kidding...right


The entire library of human existence is housed comfortably and conveniently on the internet...just, dare i say, google or bing...


in fact, truth be told and understood...libraries and schools, the sticks and bricks of them all are...dare i say obsolete and budget busting on a number of levels...such as kindle for all books, and dot com for everything else

i must beg forgiveness to the all posters with a spell chek...

if you dont have a masterkey and a bomb shelter,,, im tellin you, wallmart all the way!! there is plenty of books, maps, survival gear, food, water, beer, ammo, guns, chocolate, blankets and pillows, the frnt glass doors are the only real way in besides the back wich will be gaurded, have a fiew guys by the regesters with guns watchin the entrance and get some radios and have men on the roofs with night vision monoculars and binoculars keeping watch... then agean the library bathrooms are usually alot cleaner...hahahahaha

Originally posted by EdWard54
with all due respect and in ignorance of the protocol in this situation...

you gotta be kidding...right


The entire library of human existence is housed comfortably and conveniently on the internet...just, dare i say, google or bing...


in fact, truth be told and understood...libraries and schools, the sticks and bricks of them all are...dare i say obsolete and budget busting on a number of levels...such as kindle for all books, and dot com for everything else

i must beg forgiveness to the all posters with a spell chek...

With all due respect, I must tell you that in the event of worldwide (or even nationwide, for that matter) disaster or cataclysm, the Internet. Will. Be. Gone. Quite simply, the libraries full of print and local analog sources will be the only repositories of the collective knowledge of our civilization.

oh, and if you got a hot seventeen year old daughter and you want to go to the library you can drop her off with me at walmart while you look for your books.haha

reply to post by mindfreak21


Thats the last place I would go to be honest, supermakets would be one of the first places to get looted,.

Its common that gangs would be hiding out there trading food, given there was still any there.

Library is a rather deserted place though, good place to hide out if no one was there.

I can almost bet you that the internet would be offline in the event of a apocalypse. Once the exchanges have no power you wont have any way to hook on the grid.

i guess i better get there first once shtf haw?

I can tell you with absolute certainty that the libraries would quickly, maybe not immediately, but quickly, become extremely important when TSHTF because we will have to change the way we survive in this world. There will no longer BE Walmart or supermarkets. Their supply chains will disappear. You will have to learn to take care of yourself and live by your own hand. I could walk into my local library right this second and walk right up to a shelf of books about stuff like building your own solar power panels. Or building a solar oven. Or constructing a shelter. Or bulding a water filtration system. Get it?

Edit: Oh, and good luck thinking you'll get there first and try to take over the building. You'd be surprised at just how many librarians are straight-up crazy pistol packin' berserkers.