Librarian's Rant

This was posted on the Tulane University website today:

Current message from President Cowen:September 3, 1 p.m.

September 3, 2005, 1 p.m.

Dear Tulane colleagues,

First of all, I want you to know how much I admire and respect your courage during these difficult times. We have all been through a terrible ordeal and I realize that many of you have lost all of your personal possessions. My heartfelt sympathies to each and everyone of you.

It is now time to address the most immediate issues facing our 6,000 employees and they are numerous. We are doing our best to address them as quickly and correctly as we can. I do not have many answers for you today but promise that I will as we continue this process.

Our goal is to try and eliminate as much uncertainty as possible about the future operations of the university and to assist you in rebuilding your professional careers and personal lives.

It goes on to outline some basics for students and staff.

Again, Cornell U. has said it will work with Tulane students and faculty.

I'm delighted that folks are stepping up to donate to the American Red Cross efforts in the gulf states. I think many people are feeling helpless--natural in the face of disasters of this scope. There are other, more focused donations you can make, that may seem more specific to needs of interest to you:

Do you normally support the work of Planned Parenthood? If so, be aware that "Our health centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama stand in various states of disarray and disaster." Want to contribute? https://secure.ga3.org/02/pp_hurricane_katrina

Since last weekend, when they said the hurricane was likely to hit New Orleans, I kept thinking of the animals at the New Orleans zoo. I don't know why, but they were much on my mind. Watching the devastation that followed, I was reminded that they weren't the only animals to be affected. The ASPCA is taking donations for hurricane animal relief, to rebuild their shelters and care for animals (pets and otherwise). Not sure what they're doing? Here's their rescue diary. The ASPCA itself has pledged $1,000,000 to animals affected by Katrina.

UPDATE: You might also look at Noah's List, an organization solely for the purpose of rescuing animals during disasters.

Do you support a particular church? Do they have a relief fund set up? I gave to the UUA.

Do you belong to a local organization? Is your local Emergency Medical Services or similar taking donations? Some local stores will let you donate as little as $3 and they'll send a case of water.

Food for thought.

This disaster is overwhelming, and it has affected the library community as much as any other. There are some great sites out there where people are already putting up information, so I shall simply send you to them:

Katrina Help Wiki: http://katrinahelp.info/wiki/index.php/Main_Page An extraordinary resource. They need some help maintaining their page, and to keep the information flowing.

Karen Schneider and the amazing folks at Librarian's Index to the Internet have also created a Katrina resource page, including how to decontaminate water and rebuilding your home. They continue to add:
http://lii.org/search?query=hurricanekatrina

Similarly, ThinkNola.com is being updated to include Katrina help info: http://thinknola.com/wiki/ That site is being organized by Alan Guiterrez, a New Orleans native now in Ann Arbor. (via Web4Lib)

Planet Debate has some good, updated links: http://www.planetdebate.com/scripts/topic.asp?I=715 They have a list of issues to debate concerning Katrina and its aftermath.

The Middletown (NY) Thrall Library has created an excellent Katrina resource page for now and for later research: http://thrall.org/katrina/

Colleges and universities are stepping up to try to give some normalcy to refugees, both students and faculty. Cornell Univ. is taking in Tulane students: http://www.cornell.edu/katrina/ I've also heard from a fellow Grinnell alum in Memphis that "Uof Memphis is allowing the LA & MS refugee/displaced students to enroll and begin classes with no question regarding payment and paperwork". Well done!

If you are looking for a friend or colleague you know from New Orleans Public Library, try the NOPL contact blog at: http://nopl.blogspot.com

The American Library Association (ALA) has put out a press release, and they are also maintaining a list with stories and information about Katrina-affected libraries. Some of them are pretty disturbing.

And finally, from Rochelle at LISNews:

"If anyone in the Gulf area has a spare room or any sort of assistance they can provide to library workers and their families displaced by Katrina, please email me (lisrochelle at gmail dot com)and I'll forward to the Gueaux Library Recovery List. At this point, there isn't much to do except organize, and the Geaux group wants to be ready when that time omes. Please consider joining the list to see how you can help.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/geauxlibrary/."

I ran across this story in a Planned Parenthood missive. This is from a woman named Sabina Yates in California.

"I have a booth at the farmers' market in Benicia, CA. I have a list of the petitions laid out in front of me. They always pick up the Roe [petition] on their own. There's a lot of support for Roe. People wouldn't give it up easily.

"I'm 76 years old, and I drag my table and files and chairs down every week. This week I'm working on another batch. It's quite a thing!

"I've never had a chance to do anything before. For so many years I felt political but never felt like I could express an opinion.

"I don't feel pro-abortion or anti-abortion. This should be a personal choice. If women don't have the right to make their choice, I feel like we might as well be in Iran. This is really an important civil right."

Which reminds me--Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa sent me an email a few days ago asking for help at a local event... What? You think I just talk about it? It's not enough.