FYI - there has been much progress regarding the archives, museums, and libraries along the Gulf Coast.
Meredith Hardy

Department of Anthropology
Florida State University
1847 W. Tennessee St.
Tallahassee, FL 32306

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NCH WASHINGTON UPDATE (Vol. 11, #35; 15 SEPTEMBER 2005)
by Bruce Craig (editor) [log in to unmask] with Nathaniel Kulyk
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HISTORY (NCH)
Website at http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~nch
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3.  KATRINA UPDATE
As relief and recovery efforts continue along the Gulf Coast in the 
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, work is concentrating on assessments of 
damage to museums, libraries, archives, historic structures, and sites of 
historic interest.

As reports continue to be logged in by the American Association of Museums 
(see http://www.aam-us.org/aamlatest/news/HurricaneFirstReports.cfm ) it 
appears that in spite of individual horror stories, historic sites in New 
Orleans, since they generally were constructed on higher land, have been 
incredibly lucky.  Staff members of the Historic New Orleans Collection 
were able to enter the French Quarter with an escort of state 
police.  Their buildings and collections were “high and dry” and much of 
the material has been moved to institutions elsewhere in Louisiana.  At the 
present time, it has been reported that while the city’s archives was 
spared from flooding, concerns remain about documents left exposed to the 
humidity which may result in their destruction from mold.

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has set up a 
Historical Resources Recovery Fund, which can be viewed at 
http://www.aaslh.org/katrina.htm .  Organizations that are going to need 
financial support in this recovery effort include the New Orleans Public 
Library, which houses a number of un-microfilmed records of the city’s 
civil, criminal, and probate courts and the University of New Orleans, 
which houses the records of the state’s Supreme Court.  While all of the 
aquatic life at the city’s aquarium was lost, the majority of animals at 
the zoo were quickly transported to other facilities across the 
country.  Reports also indicate that the New Orleans Notarial Records have 
been packed into freezer trucks to ensure their preservation.  And despite 
seemingly overwhelming odds, Dillard University president Marvalene Hughes 
remains determined that her campus, viewed by many as a cultural and 
historical jewel in its own right, will ultimately recover from the 
devastation.

Reports are also coming in from other areas along the Gulf Coast.  At the 
present time, no fewer than 20 Mississippi libraries have endangered 
collections and continue to be without power.  The public libraries in 
Biloxi and Pascagoula apparently have been completely destroyed.  By 
contrast, archives and records centers in Florida have been reported as 
surviving the storm satisfactorily.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is reaching out to the 
history and cultural communities and is now working closely with the State 
Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) to gather as much information as 
possible about all of the cultural institutions and specifically determine 
which have been directly affected by Katrina.  FEMA is hiring 15-20 
Historic Preservation Specialists for the purpose of providing technical 
assistance to the disaster programs to fulfill the necessary legal 
responsibilities under various historic preservation laws.  In addition, 
the specialists will assist FEMA in integrating historic preservation 
considerations into the development and review of projects proposed for 
funding.  For interested parties, additional information regarding the job 
description and contact information can be found at: 
http://www.planetizen.com/node/17342 .

In an effort to help with the prompt recovery of historic places, 
collections, and records in the future, the National Park Service (NPS) has 
created the Historic Preservation Learning Portal, which can be viewed at 
www.historicpreservation.gov .  Working in collaboration with FEMA, the 
United States Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, and 15 
additional Federal agencies, the Historic Preservation Leaning Portal is a 
powerful new tool to provide a direct link to all historic preservation 
information on the Internet.  Individuals can quickly find Federal agency 
sites, the sites of historical preservation offices, state historic 
preservation offices, and the sites of non-profit and professional 
historical organizations.  The system does not require keywords and will 
allow for a specific question to be asked, resulting in a range of 
information on the particular subject.  There are currently over 1,000 
historic preservation sites that have been indexed by the portal.

In response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Academy of Certified 
Archivists (ACA) has joined with the Society of American Archivists (SAA) 
and the National Association for Government Archivists and Records 
Administration (NAGARA) in issuing a joint statement recognizing the tragic 
losses and offering continued support as the region rebuilds.  To this end, 
the ACA has offered their members who live in the affected regions easier 
ways to retain their CA status.  Membership dues will be waived for one 
year for any CA in the affected area; any impacted CA who is due to 
recertify in 2006-2007 will have a 2 year extension time; and a waiver on 
the one-time ACA membership fee will be granted to new CA’s who passed the 
exam in 2005.  The statement can be viewed at 
http://www.certifiedarchivists.org/html/newsarch.html .

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