California IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Library Damaged by Quake Reopens

Driving rain failed to keep dedicated book lovers from attending a gala reopening of the San Francisco Main Library, still only partially repaired from the devastating Oct. 17 earthquake. The reopening was supposed to be staged on the building’s front steps, but the storm pushed the event inside. Nobody seemed to mind the cramped situation. “Delighted to be here,” beamed Mayor Art Agnos before cutting a ribbon officially reopening the ornate, 73-year-old building. An accordion combo squeezed out music and about 300 adults and schoolchildren applauded, then stampeded up to the book-crammed second floor. Browsers, loungers and bookworms found a new look to the collection, 170,000 volumes of which are in what used to be the literature section on the second floor. The heavily damaged north wing is still closed.