Support Gathers for Katrina, Rita Survivors
Organizations nationwide rally to help libraries, schools left damaged by the storms
By Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 11/1/2005
In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, organizations around the country are rallying to help libraries and schools with everything from money to books. “We are working to get language included in [federal] hurricane relief legislation that would secure library funding for preservation, restoration of materials, and for reimbursement of expenditures made by libraries aiding evacuees,” says Bernadette Murphy, spokeswoman for the Washington office of the American Library Association (ALA). ALA is asking its members in the Gulf states to urge their lawmakers to support the language.
ALA also has its hands in other relief efforts: the group is lobbying the Institute of Museum and Library Services to make sure FEMA awards reconstruction funding to libraries affected by Katrina. The group is also spreading the word about GrantStation, a clearinghouse of grant announcements and other details aimed at assisting Hurricane Katrina victims. The Americans for Libraries Council (ALC) has established the Gulf Coast Libraries Renewal Fund, which will assist in building private sector support for libraries in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, and help restore facilities. Meanwhile, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has created a book list and a set of talking points for librarians who are trying to help young patrons cope with the aftermath of the hurricanes. YALSA is urging school librarians to apply for its Great Books Giveaway Program, a grant that offers $25,000 worth of print and other review materials for schools.
Private groups are also stepping in to help. School Zone Publishing, a Michigan-based publisher of educational materials for elementary schools, has donated software and other materials to Gulfport, MS, area schools. And philanthropist Dorothy Lemelson donated $100,000 to establish the Lemelson-Gulf Coast Libraries Children’s Book Program through the ALC to help distribute books directly to children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
