Society of Southwest Archivists, September 9:
Stasia Wolfe Griffin writes: “I’ve learned from Alfred Lemmon that senior staff, escorted by the State Police, have been able to check on the Historic New Orleans Collection. They were able to move some priority collections off site as a precaution, but generally all is well. Alfred told me that the buildings survived Katrina beautifully and even said that they were staying cool.”
Ann Wakefield writes: “Munters pumped water out of the main office of the New Orleans Notarial Archives, located in the basement of the Civil District Courthouse, September 8. The plans are to remove all records from the courthouse location September 9. Our administration is still working under the assumption that we will get access to the Old Amoco building that houses the research center to allow Munters to secure the window areas and to pump in air conditioning. Considering the age of the records, their minimal or no damage so far from the storm, and the relative costs involved, it was decided to attempt environmental stabilization rather than removal. The hangup now is with the building management, which is presenting some obstacles to this plan. We believe that the head of our agency, the custodian of notarial records, will be able to overcome these obstacles.
“Howard Margot said his waders came in handy September 6 when he and Deputy Custodian Jerry Mouton accompanied the Munters representative to assess the damage. They all took turns using the waders. They found about 6 inches of water in the courthouse basement and began pumping it out. All records on the bottom shelves were wet about 1/2 inch up. The decision was made to remove all notarial records from the basement and to treat them as needed. There are Special Forces military personnel guarding the courthouse.”
Geaux Library Recovery, September 9:
Rochelle Hartman writes: “When Katrina hit, Jason Jackson, King Library, Miami University in Ohio, decided to do something, unlike those of us who stayed glued to CNN for too many days. With the support of his institution, he created what is hoped to be an ongoing online presence for supporting libraries, archives, and affiliates that have been damaged by disaster. There are two components to the project at this time: Geaux Library Recovery: Information Community Disaster Assistance Network. This is the blog maintained by the Geaux Team, and provides a summary of work being done, in addition to posting general information relating to the Katrina crisis. The blog is a public supplement to the Yahoo! group, a working group of volunteers, most in the LIS community, who are willing to help out in some way, from publicity, to making phone calls, to rolling up sleeves and going where help is needed.
“It’s been amazing to me to see the work that can be done from remote locations, through the back channel of blogging, email, IM, and phone. Even more amazing is the generosity of spirit I’ve witnessed in the past week. It’s been a bright spot in an otherwise dreadful week.”
SOLINET, September 9:
Because of the disruption in employment caused by Hurricane Katrina, the SOLINET Job Bank is currently accepting offers of temporary as well as permanent employment—wherever it is available. Any library or cultural institution within the U.S. that has a position to offer may use this site.
Houston (Tex.) Public Library, September 9:
HPL’s McGovern-Stella Link branch has set up a small lab exclusively for the use of Hurricane Katrina evacuees from the hurricane on the Gulf Coast. They have laptops set up for anyone who has fled the storm and needs to check email or file a claim. The Park Place Regional and the Robinson-Westchase branches have opened their computer labs exclusively for the use of evacuees from the hurricane on the Gulf Coast.
Evacuees living at the George R. Brown Convention Center Shelter can visit the Houston Public Library operating at this site. Among the many services provided there are free books, storytimes, computers available with internet access and games for children. The library is located on the 3rd Floor, Ballroom A. This library is stocked with approximately 10,000 donated books for children and adults, along with toys and games. Ikea donated colorful furniture at this site and Target donated some of the toys. The library is currently offering storytime and playtime for children. There are 28 computers that provide internet access, allowing evacuees to fill out FEMA applications and search for family members. Children have access to 12 computers that are only used for games.
Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, September 9:
Government Documents Department Head Lori Smith writes: “Classes resumed here on September 8 and most of our students seem to have returned. The population of Hammond has grown tremendously due to evacuees, utility workers, and military personnel, and the university is anticipating that our enrollment may go up as displaced students from New Orleans look for new schools to attend. It is reportedly difficult to impossible to find a house, apartment, or commercial building in Hammond that is available to rent or buy. Most areas in Hammond have had power restored, but other areas of the parish, such as Amite, are still mostly without power. Gas is hard to find, and people are waiting in line to get into the grocery stores, but life is starting to return to what will now pass for normal.
“Starting on Monday Sims Memorial Library will return to regular hours. We’re seeing lots of folks coming in to fill out FEMA forms, and we’ve lifted the blocks we had in place on some of the more popular email sites, such as Hotmail, so that students and others can attempt to find and contact displaced family members. Until the Federal Depository Libraries in New Orleans are able to resume serving the public, we appear to be the closest Depository to that area, so please feel free to refer people to us for help.”
Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, September 10:
St. Peter’s-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Gulfport has lost its 2,000-book theological library, as well as its pews, stained-glass windows, and organ. Six of the coast’s 10 Episcopal churches perished in the storm. Along with religious relics, the hurricane also wiped away decades of congregational history. With at least 20 percent of Gulf Coast Catholic churches destroyed, the Rev. Elvin Sunds of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson fears at least a century of sacramental records have been lost. The records keep track of every baptism and marriage performed in each church.
“They date back as far as parishes have existed,” Sunds said. “Those have tremendous historical value.” Sunds expects the destroyed churches have lost their historic statues, crucifixes, and paintings. The sacramental records are typically locked in fireproof safes, but those repositories don’t protect against wind and water. In heavily Catholic New Orleans, churches were instructed to remove their sacramental records and altar breads before the hurricane hit, said Lee Leumas, archivist for the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. But with such short notice, Leumas isn’t sure how many churches heeded the advice.
Along the Mississippi coast, damage to Catholic churches has been so great Catholic Diocese of Biloxi administrators have yet to assess their property losses. In Waveland, the United Methodist-affiliated educational and retreat center Gulfside Assembly was totally destroyed. Of some 80 Methodist churches in the state’s six southernmost counties, five have been confirmed destroyed. The Mississippi Baptist Convention Board estimates at least 100 of its churches were destroyed or significantly damaged.
Just outside New Orleans, members of the historic Gates of Prayer synagogue in Metairie moved their five Torah scrolls—some more than 200 years old—to the fifth floor of an office building. At New Orleans’ Touro Synagogue, the oldest Jewish house of worship outside the 13 colonies, Rabbi Andrew Busch believes the Torah scrolls are intact.
Birmingham (Ala.) News, September 10:
In Pearlington, Mississippi, which looks as if it hosted a demolition derby run amok, the Charles B. Murphy Elementary School Library is slated to become a shelter today. To achieve that result, the Alabama National Guard’s 877th Engineer Battalion sought to make the library what the rest of Pearlington is not—livable.
Posted September 10, 2005.