New Major Investments Jumpstart Rebuilding Efforts and
Re-establishment of Public Library Services in Louisiana
and Mississippi
Public
libraries’ critical community role is honored; vision
for rebuilding vital services is set
METAIRIE, LA—Recognizing
the critical support public libraries provided communities
during and after the devastation of hurricanes Katrina
and Rita, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the
Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, and the Institute for Museum
and Library Services today announced major grants to support
the re-establishment of lost public library services and
rebuilding of public libraries along the Gulf Coast in
Louisiana and Mississippi.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s
$12.2 million grant will help libraries establish up to
22 temporary facilities in Mississippi and Louisiana so
community members can access books and computer and Internet
services, provide support for the planning of destroyed
or damaged libraries, and will eventually pay for new
computers in rebuilt public libraries. The Bush-Clinton
Katrina Fund will make $5 million available to support
new reconstruction and recovery of Gulf Coast public libraries.
The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS),
a federal grant making agency that provides leadership
and support to the nation’s museums and libraries,
will contribute $500,000 to the foundation’s effort
to help staff the temporary facilities.
“Our public libraries have a rich
history of opening the door to equity, information and
hope. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, people flocked
to the library for Internet access. Library staff helped
them connect to loved ones, contact FEMA and insurance
companies, find new housing, and rebuild their lives when
other social and civil services were unable to support
them,” said Allan Golston, president of U.S. Programs
for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We
hope our investment is a catalyst for comprehensive support
from other sources needed to meet the true community demand
for library services.”
The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund’s $5
million grant will focus on the physical repair and reconstruction
of up to eight public libraries across the Gulf Coast
of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama affected by Katrina.
The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund has engaged the Americans
for Libraries Council, a national non-profit advocacy
organization for libraries, to manage this grant. The
grant will target the repairs of facilities ready for
immediate attention, the rebuilding of facilities with
substantial damage, and the replacement of damaged or
lost collections.
"An investment in a library represents
a commitment to the future of the community," said
former President George H.W. Bush. "Libraries are
part of a community's pulse. It's that simple. That's
why the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund is excited to partner
with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the communities
of the Gulf Coast on this very important project. The
sooner libraries can start reopening their doors, the
sooner Gulf Coast residents will feel they are getting
back their lives."
Former President William J. Clinton reflects,
“The Gates foundation has been an example to all
NGOs. Their leadership has brought AIDS and malaria treatment
to countless in need around the world, and this new grant
will bring much-needed technological needs back to the
victims who lost so much in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Libraries are more than brick and mortar; they are the
catalyst for education and research. By investing in libraries
we are empowering Americans with the ability to obtain
resources for their future and I am proud that the Bush-Clinton
Katrina Fund and the Gates foundation are contributing
to this effort.”
The Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET),
a regional library network that serves the southeastern
United States and the Caribbean, will administer the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation grant and work in partnership
with the state library agencies of Louisiana and Mississippi
to assist libraries damaged by the hurricanes. Libraries
face a significant recovery process. In Louisiana, 107
public libraries were initially reported destroyed or
damaged with 40 still closed; in Mississippi, 34 public
libraries were indefinitely or temporarily closed following
the hurricanes with eight remaining closed. SOLINET and
state library agencies estimate that approximately 500
public computers were lost in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Staffing of temporary facilities while heavily
damaged or destroyed libraries are rebuilt is a significant
challenge. The Institute for Museum and Library Services
grant will help support initial staffing needs until additional
resources are secured.
“Together, public and private funders
recognize the power of public libraries and their staff
to strengthen communities and support growth and learning,”
said Anne-Imelda Radice, director of the Institute for
Museum and Library Services. “There is no more important
time to harness this capacity than now, in the Gulf Coast
to help rebuild lives and communities.”
The grant announcement marks the beginning
of a major New Orleans conference – the largest
since the 2005 hurricane season – held by the American
Library Association (ALA). During the five-day convening,
library advocates from across the country will meet to
discuss the role of American libraries in the United States
and signal the start of library rebuilding. Several local
library reconstruction projects will be completed by volunteers
from across the country throughout the week.
“Despite crippling damage, public
libraries in Mississippi and Louisiana and their staff
provided a lifeline to people displaced by the hurricanes,
but still, there are no established sources of state or
local public funding to support public library services
or rebuilding,” said Kate Nevins, executive director
of SOLINET. “Libraries have proved that they can
carry communities through a disaster and then help make
them vital again; they deserve our support.”
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