Friends of Libraries USA Relaxes Donation Policies for Katrina

-- Library Journal, 09/09/2005

It will be a long slog to revive the libraries affected by Katrina, and the Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA) is gearing up for a series of responses. Libraries damaged and/or destroyed by the hurricane are not yet in a position to receive donations, noted FOLUSA director Sally Reed, in an email posting. The most immediate need is books for those in shelter situations. “To coordinate this information, FOLUSA is actively promoting its 'Friends In Need' portion of our web site. In the past, we required verification from any Friends group or library requesting assistance that they had suffered damage. We are waiving that requirement entirely for Katrina,” she noted.

In the longer term, Reed advised Friends groups “to plan how you might be able to help when the infrastructure is ready to receive donations,” including stockpiling bestsellers and other good-condition books in certain categories, and even boxing them for future shipment. Even though FOLUSA recently printed an article about the importance of giving only to the library for which the Friends group was created to support, Reed suggested that, given the magnitude of disaster, Friends groups should look beyond their own library.