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Hurricane Update: September 23Here is today’s update on how the Gulf hurricanes have affected libraries. See also AL’s coverage since August 31. Anyone with first-hand information on the situation of librarians, libraries, and collections in the affected region, please email Hurricane News at American Libraries.Hurricane Rita, September 23: In preparation for Hurricane Rita’s landfall September 24, many libraries along the Gulf Coast of Texas and in western Louisiana have closed. Houston Public Library closed September 22 and expects to reopen Monday, September 26. It is maintaining a hurricane information page on its website. The Harris County (Tex.) Public Library branches closed September 21. In Texas, all University of Houston campuses, the University of St. Thomas, Houston Baptist University, Galveston College, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Lamar University in Beaumont, and Lamar State College in Port Arthur are closed for the weekend. In Louisiana, McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, University of Louisiana at Shreveport, and University of Louisiana at Lafayette are also closed. Rice University’s Fondren Library in Houston is one of three buildings being used as a hurricane shelter for students staying on campus (estimated to be half the student population). The university website cautions: “Because the campus can best care for students if the number of people on campus is at a minimum, faculty and staff are asked to please take shelter away from the campus until the storm has passed.” Chronicle of Higher Education, September 23: Southern University of New Orleans has been damaged so badly by floodwaters that the entire campus may have to be rebuilt at a likely cost of $350 million. On September 19, three weeks after the hurricane hit the coast of Louisiana, foul black water still hugged Southern’s grounds. On September 20, the water finally withdrew. The library is a muddy jumble of furniture and books. In its main lobby stands a large, old-fashioned card catalog, a few of its drawers burst open by their swollen contents. Escambia County (Ala.) Cooperative School System, Atmore, September 22: Patricia Hetzel writes: “The Escambia County school system, which is housed in the same building as the Atmore Public Library, received some water from our roof from Katrina. The damage and the leaky roof started with Hurricane Ivan in 2004 Our Library-Books-by-Mail program has continued to operate even though we were damaged by Hurricane Ivan. We just adjusted and moved about 3,000 books to my house. We knew our patrons would still need us to operate. We are operating from the building and my house still. The roofers have made more repairs, we await a good heavy rain to see if we leak or not.” Posted September 23, 2005. |
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