Saturday 13 January 2018, 4.26 am

Our FRITZ!Box reports that from this moment there is no longer a connection to the "FRITZ!DECT 200 - loans desk" socket and the unthinkable takes its course...

Thanks to the fire brigade's swift action, worse was prevented. Although the fire was only outside on the façade, the damage to us is immense. The cause could not be established.

The entire collection, apart from 677 items that were out on loan – that is 5,512 items – was lost. The furnishings were disposed of. The library was catapulted well over 50 years back, to 1964. 500 active readers, 128 of them children, lost an attractive service.

The office stayed closed thanks to a closed door and, in agreement with the assessor and the insurer, was only to be cleaned because of the smell. The library team was informed by the governing body about every appointment on site — with the assessor, the insurer and the firm buying up the items — but not about the firm's appointment for disposal and clean-up. There, in the presence of the governing body's responsible administrative employee, the office was disposed of, personal belongings of the team included — a further setback, and a completely needless, dispiriting one, with yet more damage done.

The damage to the library, not counting the parish house building itself, finally came to 150,000.00 €. The insurance covered only around 2/3 of that, and not the disposal of the office, which the governing body brought upon itself.

Also affected were all the works by Willi Birkle. At the foundation board meeting on 11 July 2017, the 4 library staff present were assured that all works by artists exhibiting at the Owingen parish house were insured. The same administrative employee had read out the insurance conditions and interpreted them that way. No check was made with the insurer to be sure. It was all the more shocking for the library team and for the artist when the assessor announced that there was no cover here.

The youth club lost its home too.

After 261 eventful days the rebuilding in the parish house in Stetten can now be tackled.