On Rebuilding Gulf Coast Libraries

On July 16, 2007, Americans for Libraries Council (ALC) announced initial grants to public libraries in Louisiana and Mississippi for rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The money comes from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, which raised more than $200 million from across the nation, earmarking $5 million in library repairs, to be administered by ALC.

Bruce Astrein, executive director of ALC, recently sat down to discuss the grants, the region, and the state of library repair in the Gulf Coast.

See the Press Release Announcing Grants

How did ALC get involved in the effort to rebuild Gulf Coast libraries?

Immediately after Katrina hit, ALC heard from key library and community leaders, as well as concerned citizens and donors, who recognized the need to help libraries hit by the storm. Some libraries were totally destroyed. Others had damage to their rooftops, their collections, even modest damage that still required some support to address. Estimates to fully repair all libraries damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and to replace library materials, are in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Before: Flood-damaged books at the Alvar Branch of the NOPL.

There are a lot of other ways to measure the damage, too. In the critical months right after the storm, the NOPL staff was down from 270 people to 19. Even now, almost two years later, Orleans Parish has a staff of 80-100, not even half what they had.

Immediately after the storms, we organized the Gulf Coast Libraries Renewal Fund to channel aid to the region. Our initial grant was a major donation from the Lemelson Foundation for distribution of children’s books and restoration of children’s collections. A second important grant, from the Petersmeyer Family Foundation, recognizes the critical need—then and now—to re-establish programs helpful to families. Through this grant eight libraries and library systems are participating in the national Family Place Libraries initiative. And one of our Council Members, Jeff Scherer, was the lead architect on the Library Journal campaign to rebuild the Alvar Branch of the New Orleans Public Library, and we’re very proud of that.

To expand the support we were able to give, we shaped a proposal for the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund, which had collected donations from across the nation and earmarked $5 million for libraries, a great interest of both former presidents. It was a competitive process, so we were delighted to learn that our proposal had won the full portion of the fund for libraries, with ALC as the intermediary, working with the BCKF.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is also funding work in the Gulf. How do the Bush-Clinton grants differ from those of other large donors?

Our work distinguishes itself because we are focusing on the physical repairs—the bricks and mortar—of libraries. The Gates Foundation is focused on replacing damaged technology; providing resources for temporary libraries; and providing some funding for the planning of future libraries. They will give out $17 million over three years. So, while the geographic and library area of focus is similar, the two funds have different emphases. The Gates funds are meant to address more temporary needs—they provide a bridge, while permanent facilities are repaired or built. That’s where our focus on physical renovations becomes crucial.

I should add that the Gates commitment is funneled through SOLINET (the Southeastern Library Network). We have been collaborating with SOLINET throughout the process, sharing information and trying to leverage our complementary efforts. Diantha Schull (president of ALC) presented at a SOLINET conference in Baton Rouge last November, and gave a helpful overview of public expectations of libraries, taken from our recent public opinion survey, Long Overdue.

Let’s step back for a minute. With so many critical needs in the region—including homes, schools, and hospitals—why focus on libraries?

Historically, libraries have been key cultural and community institutions in the Gulf Coast before the storm hit. At the same time, this key community institution, like other infrastructure in the region, has never received the investment it has needed over the decades to create first-class library systems. The library building in Waveland, MS, one of the only structures in that town that survived, has etched above the door the words “cultural and community center.” So there is clearly historical importance as the communities rebuild.

Immediately after the storm, libraries played a vital role as a key resource and communications center. The libraries that could open their doors did so very quickly. People went to the library to find information on their loved ones. They went to the library to file FEMA forms, which could only be filed online. In Mississippi and Louisiana, FEMA actually set up their headquarters in libraries. They were true centers of information and communication in those very trying weeks after the storm.

Looking forward, libraries need to “build back better,” in the words of Lon Dickerson (Director of Jefferson Parish Library in Louisiana), so that neighborhoods and communities can be even stronger. Today, they remain places where people can come together, after having been displaced. From as far away as Texas and New York, people have used local libraries to stay in touch, library-to-library.

In Waveland, the library and the police station will be the first two buildings rebuilt, an intentional decision on the part of the mayor and the city council to show that security and literacy are the town’s two highest priorities, the cornerstones of rebuilding.

And in New Orleans, libraries have significantly found their way into the “Unified New Orleans Plan.” UNOP is an elaborate plan for the rebuilding of the city, and reflects over a year’s worth of meetings and community input to point to the future viability of New Orleans. Libraries have emerged from this process as key players in the economic future and cultural rebirth of neighborhoods.

So, if libraries are on the radar already, why not just wait for the government to
rebuild them?

The Gulf Coast governments alone do not have the resources to do it. Part of the idea behind the BCKF was to provide some early money to establish a commitment to libraries, and also to use the example of those rebuilding efforts to draw more attention and resources from philanthropic and other private donors for the longer-term work. We know that libraries in the region—the same as schools, health care, and most other infrastructure—were only adequate before the storms. To truly “build back better,” a tremendous amount of resources are needed in many areas. And there aren’t enough government resources to support the rebuilding of all these critical systems at once.

In addition, there have been bureaucratic delays and confusion at all levels, and people have had to work very hard to find other sources—philanthropic support, bond initiatives and other dedicated revenue streams—to help rebuild. FEMA is required to only return things to the state they were in. To illustrate the absurdity here, imagine you had an ’84 Chevrolet that barely drove. To replace it, you would have to find another old ’84 Chevy and probably kick it a few times in order to replace your vehicle exactly.
We have learned a lot in the past decade about designing libraries to meet the needs of children, of older people, of communities. But to get a waiver to build differently is next to impossible with FEMA money.

How can a national non-profit, based in New York City, be helpful and effective in the
Gulf Coast?

ALC's Bruce Astrein (second from right) and Diantha Schull (center) joins MS State Librarian Sharman Smith (second from left) with Hancock County's Bookmobile.

Over the past few months, we’ve discovered several keys to doing work in the region:

1) You have to have local contacts that you can really work closely with and learn from. You have to be a good listener;

2) You need to coordinate as much as possible with the state librarians, who know so much about their libraries and provide essential leadership in the state;

3) You have to have a focus for your work. The more narrow the focus, the better. In our case, repair and rebuilding of the physical structure of libraries is a fairly tight focus; and

4) If you can bring resources with you, not only start-up funds but technical support, that is critical. We’ve sometimes brought in architects and other planners to help local folks think about what their priorities might be.

I’ve been averaging close to a week down there each month, meeting with local officials, library folks, and the larger community, too. We’ve also been able to help leverage other resources, such as IMLS and SOLINET, drawing on our ability to coordinate and to build local, national, and state partnerships. And we’ve built great working relationships with state library offices in Louisiana and Mississippi as well as local library leadership. Nevertheless, you have to be patient. Nothing happens quickly and nothing happens easily.

Spending time in the region allows you to be trusted, and it allows you to target your help. You don’t speed up the process at all, but at least you have a legitimate base for your help, both short-term and long-term.

Ever since the storm hit, many people have been eager to find ways to help with rebuilding efforts in the region. What are the best ways for people to get involved?

Ironically, what they don’t need are more books. Many people offered books, but it’s been difficult for the libraries to handle all the donations. The thing they need most is long-term support, which requires a different scale of resources. Remember, only 40% of the staff of the New Orleans Public Library, at most, is back. They’ve got a long way to go.

After: "Building Back Better" at the Alvar Branch of the NOPL

One of the most unfortunate aspects of the effort to rebuild the Gulf Coast, including its libraries, is that many people have lost interest. Some call it “Gulf Coast fatigue.” For anyone who is there regularly, and certainly for those living there, the slow pace of rebuilding has been enormously frustrating. Still, we cannot and must not as a nation abandon the effort. Rebuilding the libraries is a very concrete and positive step we can all contribute to.

One thing some people have done is to host local fundraisers to target certain communities. They’ve hosted book sales with proceeds going to a specific library, for example. It’s always good to work through an intermediary, and ALC can certainly help mediate between those interested in contributing and the target sites.

A big part of our work from this point forward will be to help libraries leverage the BCKF funds to find other supporting resources to help them do what they need to do for a strong future.

Of the $5 million ALC is administering from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, more than 88% will go directly to the libraries. $4 million is earmarked for construction costs such as repair and replacement, and $400,000 for collection re-development.

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