Dear Friends:
The staff of the Law Library of Louisiana appreciates tremendously the
outpouring of concern and offers of assistance that we have received from so
many of you. A number of us who evacuated to distant states were welcomed
by law librarian friends who provided everything from baby cribs and
strollers to home-cooked meals and most importantly compassion and
friendship. The phone calls and e-mails have certainly raised our spirits.
We know that many of you have wondered about the status of our library, which
is located on the second floor of the Louisiana Supreme Court Building in the
middle of the French Quarter, and about our ability to resume normal
operations. As you've no doubt learned from the media, the French Quarter
did not flood, and power and water have been restored to most buildings.
Several of our staff members were able to visit our library on Friday and
reported that although there was only partial lighting and very unpleasant
odors, the collection and our offices seem to be fine. The sad exception is
with a small part of the collection housed in compact shelving in the
basement of the building, where several inches of water had accumulated.
Because of environmental restrictions, we have been prohibited from entering
that area to check on the condition of the books there. We fear that the
dampness and heat have done serious damage and don't know yet whether
restoration willl be possible.
The library and the building remain closed to staff and to the public. The
Supreme Court has established temporary headquarters in Baton Rouge at the
Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals building near the capitol. Court
staff, including our Serials/Preservation Librarian Miriam Childs, who were
able to find housing in the Baton Rouge area or within commuting distance,
have been assisting in various capacities to help get the state-wide court
system up and running again. Our staff has gradually begun returning to New
Orleans and must report for work in Baton Rouge by November 1. Some of our
homes fared very well, and others were seriously damaged. Janice Shull's
house, which sits very close to the where the breach in the 17th St. Canal
occurred, was flooded to the roof. Cathy Lemann's home experienced several
feet of water on the first floor, and Georgia Chadwick's roof was damaged by
the severe winds. Jason Kruppa's apartment ironically was damaged by the
attempt of rescue workers with the good intention to save his cats. Marie
Erickson, Miriam Childs, Ruth Mahoney, Greg Duhe, and I were all extremely
fortunate that our homes were not damaged. We have just learned over the
weekend that power and water have been restored to many parts of the city.
So all of us are gradually returning to carry out necessary repairs and get
our lives back in order. Of course in some of our neighborhoods the stores
and other service providers are not up and running and may not be for a long
time--if ever. So we will all have to adjust to new ways of doing things.
Of course we are all anxious to return to our library in the French Quarter
but do not know when the Supreme Court will be able to reopen the building.
In the meantime beginning on November 1 we will be driving back and forth
daily to Baton Rouge 80 miles away. The good news is that all of us have
e-mail access and can be contacted at our normal e-mail addresses shown in
the AALL Directory. Of course we cannot be reached at our office phone
numbers in New Orleans. If anyone needs to reach our staff by phone, please
call Miriam Childs at the court in Baton Rouge at 225-284-0743, and she will
provide the necessary phone numbers where we can be reached. Alternatively,
the main court number in Baton Rouge is 225-382-3161. For at least another
week--perhaps a little longer--I can be reached in Williamsburg, Virginia at
757-253-0985. We promise to keep all of our law library friends and
colleagues informed of our progress. Thanks again for everything. We
always knew that there were no better people than law librarians, and this
experience has reassured us even more. ------ Carol
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