FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Updated October 5, 2005
Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Eileen Maxwell, emaxwell@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
In Midst of Katrina's Destruction, Gulf States and Neighboring Libraries Persevere
Provide Essential Information and Services for Thousands of Evacuees, the Red Cross, FEMA, and Others
Washington, DC—A recent meeting in Portland, Oregon, of chief officers of state libraries, the first
face-to-face meeting of state librarians since Hurricane Katrina struck, confirmed that libraries are essential to disaster recovery. In
the midst of Katrina’s catastrophic destruction and displacement of thousands of residents, many libraries in the Gulf states and
neighboring states have persevered, keeping their doors open and providing critical information and services for evacuees, the Red Cross,
and FEMA.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal funds for the nation’s museums
and libraries. The agency is offering to extend the grant period for grant recipients in the declared disaster areas.
“The havoc Katrina has wreaked has demonstrated that public libraries are absolutely essential to their communities
in times of emergency,” said Mary Chute, acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “Under dire circumstances,
libraries have stayed open so that library staff can help evacuees find immediate housing, apply for desperately needed FEMA funds quickly
online, and most importantly, find their families. All along the Gulf Coast, libraries are providing space, manpower, and phone and Internet
service to emergency Red Cross and FEMA workers who have converged upon the region.”
The following are just a few of the many examples of how public libraries, “one of the only sources available free
of charge to the public…are putting people’s lives back together after this disaster.” Alabama State Librarian Rebecca
Mitchell
Click on a state link to jump down: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Georgia
Louisiana Updated October 5,2005
In Louisiana, where public libraries suffered extraordinary damage—in many cases total destruction—libraries that still had power
and Internet connections went into immediate action, helping hundreds of evacuees find shelter, emergency health care, and missing loved ones. Libraries
extended their hours and remained opened on the Labor Day holiday. As the need for computers grew with thousands having to file FEMA applications,
find employment, and relocate, Louisiana State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton appealed to libraries nationwide to donate PCs. The response was overwhelming;
more than 120 PCs were promised within the first week by state libraries from New York to California.
The Louisiana State Library also created a special Web site to
link evacuees to vital local information, including satellite imagery acquired by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration of
the Gulf Coast after Katrina made landfall and a message board to help people let others know they
were safe and to reconnect with family, friends, and co-workers.
The Louisiana Rebirth plan launched by Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu and Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Secretary
Angèle Davis includes an important role for the State Library of Louisiana: "The State Library will serve as a clearing house, offering
people a gateway to information that will put them in contact with the resources available to rebuild their lives." The plan is available
at http://www.crt.state.la.us/LouisianaRebirth/Plan/LouisianaRebirthPlan.pdf
For more examples, contact Judy Morse, Communications Director, Louisiana State Library, jmorse@crt.state.la.us, 225-342-8153.
Mississippi Updated September 28, 2005
Mississippi State Librarian Sharman Bridges Smith just returned from a trip to assess damage and provide assistance and supplies to the public
libraries in the three counties along the coast. Her report documents that eight public library buildings
have been destroyed, and another eight lost entire collections. Others are severely damaged, and hundreds of thousands of volumes gone. Many library
staff lost their homes. But she also found that: “In all three counties, the library systems are struggling to make sure the public continues
to be served. Their efforts have been heroic, even when their own personal lives are in chaos.”
At the Kiln Library in Hancock County the meeting room is being used as a visitor’s reception center by Florida’s
Emergency Management Agency. The library plans to remain open 7 days a week beginning September 24. In the Pine Forest Regional Library
System many branches are being used by Red Cross as well as FEMA. And, for those library systems where Internet service has been restored,
there is a steady demand of computer users—at the South Mississippi Regional Library staff have helped patrons file 868 FEMA applications
online. Next week, the Jackson-George library in Pascagoula will begin showing DVD movies in evacuation shelters.
The Friends of Mississippi Libraries, in partnership with the State Library Commission and the Mississippi Library Association,
have established a fund to rebuild lost libraries: Rebuild Mississippi Libraries Fund, c/o AmSouth Bank, 210 E. Capitol Street, Jackson,
MS 39201.
For more information, contact Sharman Bridges Smith, Mississippi State Librarian, sharman@mlc.lib.ms.us,
601-961-4039.
Alabama
The Alabama State Library constructed a comprehensive Web page of Hurricane Katrina resources. The page links
to statewide resources such as as Hurricane Katrina Student Assistance through
the Alabama Department of Education and to city-specific resources like the Birmingham Public Library
Hurricane Katrina Web site for individuals who have sought shelter there. Under “Find Housing,” for example, a user quickly
learns that Alabama is offering the emergency use of all 1,500 park sites, plus cabins, lodges, and hotel rooms at 22 parks, for evacuees
of Hurricane Katrina.
For more information, contact Rebecca Mitchell, Alabama State Librarian, rmitchell@apls.state.al.us, 334-328-1218.
Texas
In Texas, where tens of thousands of people relocated, libraries are coordinating critical library services at official evacuation sites
and in their own communities. Indeed, some Texas libraries share buildings with disaster shelters. The recreation center at the Nacogdoches Public
Library is the area’s primary disaster shelter. Library staff there is assisting the Red Cross, city agencies, and local organizations to help
the evacuees. The library’s Storytime room has been used as a nursery, the video center as a mental health clinic, and the director’s office
as a headquarters for handing out phone cards. The magazine section is being used to register children for school and Head Start.
The Texas State Library also announced an emergency grant program to aid Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Called Texas Responds,
the grant program will fund Texas library services and programs for victims of Hurricane Katrina who have evacuated to Texas. THE GRANT
DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 30TH. Read more about it on the Texas State Library's Web site.
For more examples of how Texas libraries are contributing to the relief effort, contact Erica McKewen, Communications Officer, pio@tsl.state.tx.us, 512-463-5514.
Arkansas
In the Arkansas State Library’s Katrina Response log, public libraries are donating library fees to relief funds, distributing
library cards to out-of-state users, reserving and extending time on computers for evacuees and assisting them in filling out FEMA
forms. Others are delivering books and magazines to hospitals and shelters and partnering with community organizations. At the Saline
County Library, library staff is providing housing for one family of 10.
For more information, contact Carolyn Ashcraft, Associate Director, Arkansas State Librarian, cashcraft@asl.lib.ar.us, 501-682-2863.
Georgia
Louisiana libraries’ computer needs were met within days, thanks in large part to staff at two Georgia State Library systems
who organized a massive computer collection campaign, shipped the computers, and even developed a simple, standard installation plan that
allowed the Louisiana libraries to quickly put the computers to use.
For more information, contact Dr. Lamar Veatch, George State Librarian, lveatch@georgialibraries.org, 404-982-3531. |
