March 1: Greetings and welcome to the Tulane Libraries Recovery Center online journal!

We look forward to sharing our experiences with you as we move forward toward accomplishing our task of returning the damaged collections and materials back to Tulane University’s libraries. Many of us have direct connections to the devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused.

I witnessed firsthand the massive devastation left in the wake of the storm as my parents lost everything in Biloxi, Mississippi. We have another employee who lost everything when the levees broke and flooded her home in the Mid-City area of New Orleans. And, we have also welcomed many new faces to the city of New Orleans with many of our staff coming from other parts of Louisiana, Ohio, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. We reflect the changing nature of New Orleans herself: those, like myself, who have returned home in the wake of the storm, those who have persevered to stay despite their losses, and those staff new to the city who have the energy, dedication, and zeal to be a part of Tulane’s and New Orleans’s recovery efforts. And, as an office, we are proud to be a part of this historic endeavor.

This blog and website will provide a mechanism for us to share our experiences on all levels. We plan to update this website on a regular basis, adding photos, and stories.

We hope to hear from you as well and will be glad to answer any questions you might have. Feel free to email me at dhamilton@libraryassociates.com.

Below, the first ten books returned to their original home at Tulane. Above, the first books after being cataloged; Andy Corrigan, Associate Dean for Library Collections was on hand for the historic occasion.