Turkish Librarians Brace for Massive
Earthquake Damage Assessments
It’s too early to know the extent of the damage to libraries in Turkey from the devastating August 17 earthquake that killed over 13,000 people, but it will be massive, said Tuncel Acar, president of the National Library in Ankara. At the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions annual conference in Bangkok, he told American Libraries that the Gölcük public library near the quake’s epicenter was one of many throughout the country that sustained heavy damages.
IFLA President Christine Deschamps told AL that the federation’s Preservation and Access Group would be working with UNESCO’s Blue Shield disaster-assistance program to offer aid to stricken libraries. “It’s too soon to know what needs to be done,” she said, but in a few months’ time they will try to focus on two or three of the most heavily damaged libraries and help with the rebuilding. “Of course it can never make up for the terrible suffering and loss of life.”
Posted August 30, 1999.
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