NEWS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               DATE: 7/07/06 CONTACT: LESLIE SCHALER, COMMUNICATION ASST., (413) 545-0162 UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIANS VOLUNTEER IN NEW ORLEANS             Amherst, MA - UMass Amherst librarians Isabel Espinal, Anne L. Moore, Emily Silverman, and Christine Turner were among the 900 library volunteers from around the U.S. and Canada who worked on more than 20 community projects and library rebuilding efforts during the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in New Orleans from June 22-28, 2006. The ALA Annual Conference is the world’s largest library gathering and was the first major conference to be held in New Orleans since last year’s hurricanes. About 17,000 people attended ALA’s 2,000 programs, special events, and meetings. The conference brought about $20 million in much-needed revenue to the city. Electronic Resources Librarian Christine Turner of Greenfield worked with 25 other librarians through Second Harvest sorting food at a New Orleans food bank. Before Katrina Second Harvest had over 400 agencies through which they supplied food to the hungry; immediately after the storm only about 26 remained in operation. They have restored supply lines with about 150 agencies, still well below their pre-storm levels.  “The devastation is extensive, with signs of life present only where there were FEMA trailers. Piles of rubble lay in front of houses where clean up had begun. Many, many residences had completely crumbled or the roofs had collapsed.  Grocery stores and businesses were closed and boarded up” said Turner. “Yet, everyone there was effusive in their gratitude for our presence at Second Harvest, and ALA’s presence in New Orleans,” she said. “They encouraged us to travel around the city, beyond the French Quarter and Warehouse District, which were affected in only minor ways. They were passionate about their need for more help.” “The heat was exceptional, in the upper 90s. Our group was red-faced, sweaty, and dirty as we went about our tasks. Still,” she added, “Many commented that this day made going to New Orleans worthwhile, and I was deeply gratified to participate. The stories and sights were very moving, conveying both profound sadness and amazing strength of spirit.” Reference Librarian Isabel Espinal of Amherst volunteered at the Nora Navra Branch Library in the 7th Ward. The ALA Office for Diversity, the New Orleans Public Library, and Hands On Network coordinated the 65 volunteers. Eight of 13 New Orleans Public Library facilities were damaged beyond repair, and 31 public libraries in Louisiana remain closed. “We wore protective body suits, respirators, and gloves. The place was so full of mold that at the end of the day I noticed that I had gotten mold dust in the creases of my nose,” said Espinal. “Getting all the books and furniture out was the first and most time consuming chore. Many of the books were so moldy they had to be pried from the floor.  In the end, there were 4-5 dumpster loads. It felt really good working together with others even though there were many sad moments.  Every once in a while someone would read aloud the title of a book that was being thrown away.  Some titles stuck out in my mind like Black New Orleans.” “I think every time I went to the Convention Center, walking down the long sidewalk where so much news coverage occurred during the aftermath of Katrina, I thought about people who died on that very sidewalk. In particular, there were elderly people and babies who were stranded in the sun and heat with no food or water, and just died there,” she added. “I would urge everyone who can, to go New Orleans. The French Quarter still looks great and there are many volunteer projects where people really need help,” says Espinal. Access Services Coordinator Anne L. Moore of South Hadley worked in the Upper 9th Ward with Common Ground. Some Common Ground volunteers gutted houses. Moore worked in a group that helped clean up a Catholic church, school, and parish on St Roch Street. Director of Library Development Emily Silverman of Amherst was in a group of 45 volunteers who worked with Habitat for Humanity roofing, painting, and insulating new homes in the Musicians Village.  The Musicians Village is a rebuilding project conceived by Harry Connick Jr. and Branford and Ellis Marsalis to help musicians who lost their homes return to New Orleans. “We drove for about 30 minutes through the 9th Ward to get to our worksite. We saw hundreds of homes, one after another, gutted and empty and spray painted with symbols by the National Guard. It was heartbreaking. Last year, these were neighborhoods and communities, and now they are deserted. There is so much work to be done. It felt right to be a part of this “bottom-up” rebuilding effort organized by ALA and the other organizations.” For more information on helping in the Katrina/Rita recovery and the organizations mentioned, see: ALA http://ala.org ALA Office for Diversity - http://www.ala.org/ala/diversity/diversity.htm Common Ground - http://www.commongroundrelief.org/.  Habitat for Humanity - http://www.habitat.org/ Hands On Network - http://www.handsonnetwork.org/ New Orleans Public Library - http://www.nutrias.org/ Research Guide to Hurricane Katrina - http://www.library.umass.edu/subject/katrina/ Second Harvest - http://www.no-hunger.org        “Every place has its history, but what is it about New Orleans that makes it more than just the sum of the events that have happened there? What gives it a meaning and a soul so that it is known throughout the world as a place to visit to revive the spirit? What is it about the spirit of the people who live there that could produce a music, a cuisine, an architecture, a total environment, the mere mention of which can bring a smile to the face of someone who has never even set foot there?        What is the meaning of a place like that, and what is lost if it is lost?” From Why New Orleans Matters © 2005 by Tom Piazza