Philosophy Department Sends Books to Flood-Ravaged Prague

Author: Alison Damick

The week of Aug. 12-18, 2002 was disastrous for the Czech Republic as massive floods covered the nation. The capital city, Prague, experienced the worst floods in over 500 years. The raging Vltava River, at more than seven meters above its normal level, quickly overcame all the barriers built against it, wreaking havoc upon many businesses and institutions throughout the city.
According to an appeal posted on the Website of the American Philosophical Association (APA), www.apa.udel.edu, the Institute of Philosophy suffered severe damage to its library, which housed more than 120,000 volumes. Only a fraction of the books could be removed from their underground storage before "partly sewage contaminated waters flooded the library, in some places over the level of 2.5 meters." While exact damage is still being assessed, over 30,000 volumes are known to be lost forever. The Institute, which served not only its members but also a much more vast community of scholars, academics and students alike, issued its international request for aid in restocking its collection shortly after the floods.
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Martha Woodruff was attending a conference in October when she noticed a bright gold poster emblazoned with the headline "Donate books to rebuild the flooded libraries of Prague," alongside a picture of a blindfolded rhinoceros being evacuated from the Prague zoo. Under its "Needed Most" list, the poster requested old and new primary texts, new secondary research, journal series and monetary donations for the replacement of texts in the areas of philosophy, political science and sociology. Upon her return from the Conference, she read more about the appeal on the APA web site before suggesting it as a project to the other members of the College's Philosophy Department, all of whom, she reports, "enthusiastically supported it."
At present, Professor Woodruff has started collecting extra books from the small library in the Philosophy Department common room to donate. She and others within the department will also be donating books from their personal collections and would like to encourage any of the college community who have philosophy materials to contribute as well. "The project of donating books to Prague means that we can, in our own small way, contribute to the global network of philosophers," Professor Woodruff states "On behalf of the Philosophy Department here at Middlebury, I'm pleased to do what I can to help, even if it's only the beginning."
Information about making donations through the College can be acquired by emailing Woodruff at woodruff@middlebury.edu, or the department coordinator, Carol A. Sampson, at sampson@middlebury.edu.