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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