LJ To Restore NOPL's Devastated Alvar Street Branch

-- Library Journal, 03/07/2006

Library Journal is taking the lead in tandem with architect Jeffrey Scherer (Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle) and the New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) for the restoration of the Katrina-devastated Alvar Street Branch. "This city has eight branches closed down. That's unheard of, especially given the need," said LJ Editor-in-Chief Francine Fialkoff after meeting last Thursday with local library leaders, residents, and city officials. The library suffered wall-to-wall damage, destroying its entire collection. The site was chosen owing to its structural integrity and its location in a recovering neighborhood known for its history and demographic diversity. Along with its collection, Alvar lost all interior furnishings and technology equipment. Residents of the Bywater district and nearby Holy Cross neighborhood (both in the city’s Ninth Ward), were on hand to express their desire for the return of their cherished library. The Alvar Street Branch will serve a larger swath of the city when reopened.

The "makeover" of the Alvar Street Branch library will be the first major joint effort to bring a severely damaged library back into service in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck.  It will stand as a cultural beacon and economic engine to rebuild and resettle this area of the city. As now planned, the restoration project will be privately funded and supplied. In order to restore service to the neighborhood as soon as possible, the New Orleans Public Library Foundation has begun an intensive campaign to raise funds for necessary building repairs. There will be a grand reopening celebration during the ALA conference in late June. LJ will provide immediate and ongoing coverage of the entire project in the magazine, our web site, the e-newsletters, and Library Hotline, culminating in a detailed feature in the fall edition of LJ LIBRARY BY DESIGN. The scope of the design and the resulting "needs" list of furnishings, equipment, and collection materials will be available shortly. LJ invites concerned and motivated vendors to join in this worthy work.