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Hurricane Katrina Library Update: September 4Here is today’s update on how Hurricane Katrina has 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 Katrina Library News at American Libraries.State Library of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, September 4: Lafourche Parish Public Library, Thibodaux: Director Beverly Arabie writes, “I am still without power at home in Cut Off, so I came to headquarters in Thibodaux to catch up on work. My email box was full of messages about everyone’s concerns. All of our libraries are okay except for the furthest south, the Golden Meadow branch. The building’s roof blew off. The parish library staff went to work on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and moved all of our holdings to the building on the next block that we purchased last month for our new Golden Meadow branch location. We were concerned that if it started to rain, everything would get wet; miraculously it didn’t happen during the hurricane except for old books and things stored in closet areas to the rear of the building. All of our staff is okay, thank God. In all, we came through this very blessed.” St. John the Baptist Parish Library, Laplace: Library Consultant Dorothy White writes, “Randy De Soto just called me. He is back in St. John Parish, and all the libraries are okay. The main library has a small section of the roof that is damaged, and the carpet is wet in one section. He believes the water was blown in under the glass wall. The new library has no damage. They now have power and water, though no phone service, so he has turned on the air conditioning and the libraries will open for business on Tuesday.” National Public Radio, September 3: Albany County (Wyo.) Public Library Director Susan Simpson writes: “A caller to National Public Radio’s call-in show about Katrina’s effects on Saturday, about 3:30 p.m., MDT, said the library in Lafayette, Louisiana, had been wonderful, that she wouldn’t say enough about how good it had been to her. She’d been able to go online to fill out her FEMA forms.” Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal, September 3: Paul St. Pierre, 34, science reference librarian at Tulane University's Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, is attending the 20th annual Burning Man counterculture arts festival in the Nevada desert. He said he’s not sure of the condition of his New Orleans neighborhood or whether he’ll still have his job. “Is the school year cancelled or do they need me to reconstruct the library?” St. Pierre asked. “I’m not sure what I'll do next.” When he arrived in Reno, St. Pierre said he called his father in Canada before heading to the Black Rock Desert and told him to inform the family he’s OK. American Association of Law Libraries, September 1: The AALL LawLibAssist blog provides AALL members the opportunity to offer assistance to friends and colleagues in the affected region. Chronicle of Higher Education, September 1: Lynne Blair, director of the library at Rhodes College in Memphis, says the August 31 report from the Vanderbilt Hustler that the library’s basement had flooded is not true. “We had some window leaks, and that was it,” she says. “I have no idea where they got that.” Posted September 4, 2005. |
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