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NEW CANAAN, Conn. Celia and Erin Spiess are frequent visitors to the New Canaan Library, loading up on books that 9-year-old Erin loves to read. Were at the library all the time, said Celia Spiess, 48.
Their visit Monday, however, served a different purpose: a chance to charge a portable DVD player and a cell phone. Their Elm Place home has been without power since 5 a.m. Sunday.
The library extended an invitation to all residents to charge electronics Monday and stayed open until 11 p.m. More than 80 percent of the town was without power Monday morning after Tropical Storm Irene blew through the region over the weekend.
Many were thankful to get back online to get work-related emails. Others were participated in a fantasy football draft.
Library Director Alice Knapp, who surrendered her office so a woman could use it while finishing a business presentation, said the service was about meeting the communitys needs. The people who are coming here are thankful and very appreciative, she said.
Knapp did not expect as many visitors given the nice weather Monday. The heavy traffic caused some problems, and some visitors were not always able to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi.
Barbara Singer, 50, said it was nice to get online and stay connected with her co-workers in New York City. She could not travel because Metro-North Railroad was not operating out of New Canaan on Monday. This is great. Its like a lifeline, Singer said.
Celia Spiess says it was nice that the library gave people a chance to recharge and connect. Its a positive out of a negative situation, she said.
Erin agreed, though she was happiest with a new stack of books to read while the phone and DVD player were replenished.
Did you visit the New Canaan Library to charge up your devices or to borrow books and movies? Let us know by leaving a comment below. You can also visit our Facebook page.
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