By Andrew K. Pace
American Libraries Columnist
andrew_pace@ncsu.edu
By Andrew K. Pace
American Libraries Columnist
andrew_pace@ncsu.edu
Head of Systems, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh.
Column for November 2005
It’s hard to even think about libraries when disasters on the scale of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita hit. Like a lot of people, I simply call my loved ones and give thanks for being out of harm’s way. This is not to say that I don’t plan for disasters—it’s in my job description. I just wonder sometimes who’s worrying about online renewals and proxy access to electronic databases when all the books and computers are 12 feet under water.
But thank goodness people also care about the libraries, the books, and the computers. It seems like when the library can start functioning again, so can society. It’s been heartening to watch publishers, vendors, libraries, and individuals pool their resources to help the victims of the devastation in the Gulf Coast. From the large scale—the National Book Festival teaming up with First Book and major publishers to provide books to people of all ages and Amazon.com matching $1 million of the funds raised—to the small scale: librarians conducting children’s storytime in the Houston Astrodome and elsewhere throughout the region.
Document and archive collections seem to be among the hardest hit. (Why are so many of these collections kept in basements?) The Institute of Museum and Library Services has compiled a list of resources for affected institutions and extended all of its grant deadlines so that affected areas might be able to take advantage of funding opportunities. ALA has been tracking Katrina information.
It might be time for a brief apologia from our Association’s president regarding his remarks about "blog people" (Library Journal, Feb. 15, p. 44), or at least an acknowledgment from him of the superior job done by the nation’s bloggers when it came to up-to-the-minute information on hurricane relief. Writing for Information Today, Miguel Ramos pointed out September 6 that “the blogosphere has once again become a primary news source and a way of passing vital information from eyewitnesses, with many bloggers using battery-powered laptops and wireless handheld devices when the power failed.”
The New Orleans Times-Picayune went from paper to online nearly overnight, including a chat section where readers could look for information about missing loved ones. Groups such as the Special Libraries Association, the American Association for State and Local History, and the Society of American Archivists used local chapter contacts, blogs, and websites to track down members, get updates, and offer professional assistance.
Despite finger-pointing at the federal government’s response, the Federal Communications Commission was quickly on board with $211 million from the Universal Service Fund to restore phone and internet services to schools, libraries, hospitals, and consumers.
Corporations followed suit: Sprint Nextel was instrumental in restoring communications services; Qwest Communications distributed over 2,000 long-distance calling cards; and Cisco, IBM, Comcast, Intel, and many others raised funds and provided technical assistance throughout the disaster relief.
Vendors closer to home for libraries were also quick to respond. SirsiDynix offered emergency hosting services for libraries in five states, including hosting of websites as well as entire Unicorn and Dynix integrated systems, at no cost. Thomson Gale and EBSCO both donated computers for FEMA applicants. Both companies matched employee contributions 2 to 1.
Hoover’s and its parent company Dun and Bradstreet donated thousands of dollars; they also made space available not only for collections but also for Louisiana State University alumni who were collecting goods, blood, and donations for the hurricane victims. Many vendors, including H. W. Wilson, replaced their banner ads with assistance links for customers suffering from the disaster.
CSA announced that it will work with ALA to establish a fund to rebuild library infrastructure in the Gulf Coast. Like its colleagues, Cambridge Information Group (CSA’s parent company) is making other financial contributions and making its databases freely available to those affected.
Content provides also went beyond helping their customers with technology and victims with cash—they used their expertise at disseminating information. LexisNexis expanded its free news coverage, including free access to over 4,000 news sources on the disaster. EBSCO made several of its medical resource databases freely available to hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi. Thomson West offered free Westlaw passwords for displaced legal firms and has promised to replace CD-ROM and print collections destroyed by the disaster at no charge to its customers.
Lycos and Yahoo created a searchable index aggregating results from multiple missing person sites. Two enterprising programmers, Jonathan Mendez and Greg Stoll, used the Google Maps API to create detailed information on the destruction using Google’s graphical map display. Unlike similar commercially hosted sites, this destination allows users to post their own information.
There are likely many other vendors, content providers, and library associations working closely with customers and patrons, pooling and matching donations, and providing access to online resources—too many to name in the space allotted to this column. The point is that we have pulled together as an industry of information providers in every way we know how. Impressive.
Even when disaster strikes, libraries are there. Our vendors are there. Our associations are there. Let’s hope it’s a long time before we all need to get together on something like this again.
Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland, including EOS e-Library ASP service, replacing a homegrown system; Banner Health, a nonprofit health care system, replacing EOS GLAS.
University of Paris 1: Panthéon-Sorbonne, France, also including MetaLib and SFX link resolver, replacing Geac Advance, C2, Winisis, and Isis/dos.
Las Vegas–Clark County Library District, including Ecommerce and ERM, replacing SirsiDynix Classic.
Joplin (Mo.) Public Library, replacing Dynix.
Delaware Division of Libraries, including Rooms, SingleSearch, Resolver OpenURL, and Director’s Station, replacing Dynix.
Illustrating the competitor cross-licensing that some in the industry have been calling for, Auto-Graphics has made a deal with COMPanion Corporation for distribution rights to SchoolCAT Cataloging Services and SchoolQuest Portal products. COMPanion can offer the products to current customers of its Alexandria library management system.