Update: "Mayor Bloomberg: where is the People's Library?" + Rachel Maddow Visits

Librarians from the OWS People's Library met at 8:00 a.m. this morning to retrieve the 5,000 books they were told yesterday were being held safely at the Sanitation Department, only to find a very different situation. Their blog reports:

We’re getting our first report back from the folks who went to the Sanitation Garage. Mayor Bloomberg’s office tweeted: “Property from #Zuccotti, incl #OWS library, safely stored @ 57th St Sanit Garage; can be picked up Weds” But it turns out, not surprisingly, that this was a lie. Our folks on the ground say:

“There are only about 25 boxes of books; many of the books are destroyed. Laptops here but destroyed. Can’t find tent or shelves.”

One of our librarians Zach came up with a partial list of what was taken (see below) and it’s looking like only a few boxes of books and our (destroyed) laptops and one chair were at Sanitation. Our people on the ground report that “A lot is destroyed . . . more may (or may not) be coming out of their giant trashpile at back of building.” But it’s obvious to me that by recklessly throwing the contents of the park into dumpsters, the NYPD and DSNY working under Bloomberg’s orders destroyed what we built. And that their claim that the library was “safely stored” was a lie.

So Mayor Bloomberg: where is the People’s Library?

In other library news, you might also check out this great feature on Occupy Writers and the People's Library that Rachel Maddow ran just last night. Visit her show here; and keep an eye on the Occupy Wall Street Library Blog for updates on the books.