Libraries are getting started on their September Projects [blog, article]. Do you have plans on 9/11? Is your library closed? If you’re home and online consider participating in the Rambling Librarian’s IM chat between Singaporean and US libraries on the theme of “How much do we understand each other” For East Coasters it’s a bit late at night, but West Coasters can check in before they go to bed and meet some of their colleagues overseas.
Author: jessamyn
hi – 09sep
Hi. The mailto form which was now broken is now fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks to the folks who let me know. Since I never email myself, I pretty much never go to that page.
Dues relief for ALA members in Katrina zone
The American Library Association is giving a six month extention of ALA dues to any member in zip codes starting with356, 366, 369, 393, 394, 395, 396, 700, 701, 702, 704, 705, 706, 707, or 708, those that are declared “closed” by the US Postal Service. More ALA updates on their Libraries and Hurricane Katrina page
Geaux Library Project, links and news
The Geaux Library Project [see blog here] has been making great strides providing relief assistance to Katrina victims and the displaced all over the South. They are looking for volunteers, mostly onsite but some remotely. Got some library geek skills that you’d like to use to do some good? Here is the call for volunteers that went out to listservs. Rochelle has been ably follwing this project and others since the diaster, keep tabs on her that bitch Katrina category for more updates.
Libraries change lives right here, right now
Marylaine Block has a more personal look at how librarians in areas affected by Katrina are helping people get their lives back.
Sandra Fernandez, Public Relations Manager for [Houston Public Library], says that they’ve been operating an impromptu “branch” library on site at the convention center since Saturday, September 3. She says, “We have Library staff there, as well as volunteers. We don’t have a circulating library at that location. The materials are all either donated recently for that library or provided by the Friends of the Houston Public Library — which means that when something is “checked out” at that library, they can keep the materials. We have (as of yesterday) approximately 16 computers there, with internet access, games and reading materials for all ages. We are holding storytimes throughout the day as well. The GRB [convention center] is just a mile or two from the Central Library, and we are offering temporary library cards to all evacuees which then can then be used at all library locations.”