Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2005 13:54:02 -0500
From: Irene Wainwright
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Some good news from New Orleans
New Orleans Public Library is delighted to be able to announce
that the New Orleans City Archives, which we hold, is relatively
safe. Although the majority of our records (as well as the 19th
and early 20th century records of the Orleans Parish civil and
criminal courts) are housed in the basement of the Main Library,
some 18 feet below sea level, the basement remained essentially
dry. Wayne Everard , our archvivist, and I were able to get
access to the building yesterday, along with another NOPL staff
member and a representative of Munters. We discovered that the
basement sustained NO FLOODING, although there is a very small
amount of water in one area, possibly caused by sewer backup.
This water caused no direct damage to records themselves.
The Main Library itself (across the plaza from city hall, about
4 blocks from the Dome) came through almost unscathed. Several
windows blew out in the area of our Technology Center causing
quite a bit of damage there, but the damage is confined to that
closed in room. There is also evidence of very minimal roof
leakage on the first floor -- most of it missing the books. On
the whole, however, the Main Library is in excellent shape.
Earlier reports that vandals had entered the building are
incorrect. Our branch run van was looted and we believe another
van was stolen from the parking lot, but it is clear that no
one got into the building, either to vandalize or to shelter
there.
The NOPL system itself has been hit hard -- probably about half
of our 11 branch libraries are under water. But these we can
(and will) rebuild. The fact that the archives have survived
leaves us almost delerious with relief.
We are working now to arrange for Munters to stabilize the Main
Library building until we can all return and begin the rebuilding
process.
We posted this news earlier to the ssacares site, where we will
post additional information as it becomes available as well as
photographs we took of the Library and the surrounding area.
Thank you all for your expressions of concern and offers of
assistance. We are unbelievably lucky, and I think I now believe
in miracles....
Irene Wainwright
Assistant Archivist, Louisiana Division/City Archives,
New Orleans Public Library
Michael Sauers is the Director of Logan Library in Logan, UT. Prior to this he was one of the founding staff and Technology Manager for Do Space in Omaha, NE. After earning his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany's School of Information Science and Policy Michael spent his first 20 years as a librarian training other librarians in technology along with time as a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, a technology consultant, and a bookseller. He has written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines and has published 14 books ranging from library technology, blogging, Web design, and an index to a popular horror magazine. In his spare time, he blogs at TravelinLibrarian.info, runs The Collector's Guide to Dean Koontz website at CollectingKoontz.com, takes many, many photos, and typically reads more than 100 books a year.
Unless otherwise stated, all opinions are my own and are not to be considered those of the City of Logan, UT.
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