China Quake Relief

In response to last month’s earthquake in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, a U.S.-based librarians’ organization is appealing for help.

A special, tax-deductible donation page on the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Web site (www.cala-web.org) provides a PayPal link for would-be donors who aren’t having any luck getting through other highly trafficked sites.

“It’s the worst natural disaster China has experienced in the last three decades,” says Min Liu, a CALA member and an assistant director of the Long Island (NY) Library Resources Council.

Liu, who comes from northeast China, says she has visited what is now the disaster area, around Wenchuan City, where, so far, more than 34,000 people are believed to have died. “It’s a very scenic area in China,” Liu says. “The panda preserves are in that area. They have high mountain valleys. It’s a very popular tourist area.”

Liu came to New York 14 years ago as an international student and graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in library science. “I’m still a Chinese citizen,” she points out. “So that’s my home country. That’s why I’m doing this.”