AALL LawLibAssist

LA State Library-update on equipment requests

RESPONSE TO LOUISIANA STATE LIBRARY’S CALL FOR COMPUTERS, PRINTERS TERMED “TREMENDOUS”
Libraries around the country have resoundingly responded to the State Library of Louisiana’s call earlier this week for computers and printers, notes State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton, [email protected].

“The outpouring of support for our request for computers has been tremendous,” Hamilton advises. “We nearly have what we need. Please put out the word that we have what we need in the way of computers and printers and people can focus on those other states that have been devastated. Tell everyone to pass on the word. We are working quickly to prepare the computers for our libraries. You all have saved the day!”

(If someone is in contact with MS State Library, the state and court law libraries to find their needs...we can keep passing the word.)  KJS

Monetary contributions to Louisiana libraries

I know that we are all upset by the horrible damage and huge loss of life caused by Hurricane Katrina and many of us wonder what more we can do to help.  The Louisiana Library Association website, http://www.llaonline.org, gives information on contributing monetary donations to help restore libraries in southeastern Louisiana:

"The LLA Disaster Relief Fund is now accepting monetary donations to assist school, public, and academic library restoration efforts in southeastern Louisiana.
Please make checks payable to: LLA-Disaster Relief
and mail to:
LLA
421 South 4th St
Eunice, LA 70535"

(The website also contains a huge listing of Hurricane Katrina Assistance Links of all sorts).

Best,

Ginny McVarish
Serial Services
Widener 109
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-2422

LA State Library: Equipment REQUEST

LOUISIANA STATE LIBRARY ISSUES URGENT CALL FOR COMPUTERS, PRINTERS
The State library of Louisiana has sent out this call for computer equipment. If you are interested and able to send computers, here is the request from the Louisiana State Librarian, Rebecca Hamilton.

"To all-we are in desperate need of computers/printers.  We are being inundated with evacuees needing to file FEMA applications, unemployment, search for loved ones, etc. and are coming into our public libraries to use the computers.  Our libraries have greatly extended their hours to accommodate the people but they need additional computers and printers. If you can please put the word out that if anyone wants to help immediately, this is our greatest need."

Equipment Specs:
* Pentium 3
* Windows 2000, prefer XP
* Laser printers if you can still get toner for them

Send equipment to:
State Library of Louisiana
701 North 4th Street
Baton Rouge, La.  70802-5232

If you are able to assist them, please let Rebecca know via email at [email protected] to help her know what to expect.

NELLCO to serve as book donation clearinghouse-more news

Tracy has sent more information for your use:

In the aftermath of Katrina so many in our profession are seeking some

way to help our colleagues who have been devastated by this disaster.

Many libraries are offering donations of print resources to the

affected libraries. Obviously, the affected libraries are not in a

position to receive or even consider donations at this time. However,

in due time these donations will be welcome as our colleagues begin

assessing their needs. In an effort to coordinate these offers NELLCO

has established a site to collect the information on your generous

offers, which will be disseminated to those law libraries in need when

they are back in a position to begin to rebuilding their collections.

If you have any books or other print materials to offer please complete

this form (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=484411319254).

"We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs" (William Jefferson Clinton).

NELLCO to maintain database of book offers

Tracy Thompson, Executive Director of NELLCO, has offered to coordinate a database of the book and other  material offers many of you are making. We appreciate the offers and hope you can hang on to the items for a while. It will be some time before there are buildings available to house them. But for now, please send your inventory of items to Tracy for the database.

Tracy L. Thompson, Executive Director

New England Law Library Consortium (NELLCO)

9 Drummer Rd.

Keene, New Hampshire 03431

www.nellco.org

603-357-3385 (voice)

603-357-2075 (fax)

[email protected]

Books: Offers

Thank you to anyone making offers of books and materials already. In some cases I know you need to get rid of the materials you're offering because of space. But please realize, no one who has lost their collection has a place to put replacements yet. And they haven't figured out if they'll stick with print, I'm guessing. So...to the extent possible, please don't stop making the offers but if you can hold on to the materials for a while it would be wonderful.

Anne Myers has suggested a way to keep track of the offers:

People are trying to be helpful, responsible, and responsive, and not discard something that could be useful to someone who might desperately need it.  I think the best thing for now is, if they can and have the space, to hold onto them and send info about titles/volumes available to a central place that could be compiled and posted.

Example:

Atlantic Reporter, v.1-300. -- Boston University.  Contact: Anne Myers

Atlantic Reporter, v.1-200 – University of Richmond.  Contact:  Joyce Janto

General Digest, v.1-100 – Valparaiso University.  Contact: Sally Holterhoff

Etc  (I just made up those volumes, they’re probably totally wrong, but it’s an idea).

Is there someone who might take on this "keeping of the inventory"?? It's paperwork not housing the actual items (unless you are in possession of an empty warehouse!)

thanks everyone.   Kathie S.

Hold Your Duplicates

Dear Colleagues:

Balfour Halevy, retired Head of

York

University Law Library, has

suggested that Canadian law libraries who are in a position to do so, hold on to

their duplicates for at least the next few months until we can determine if they would be of any assistance in re-building law libraries in the Southern US destroyed

by Hurricane Katrina.  If you can, and if you have a list, please send the list to

me via e-mail and I will make sure that you are kept informed as to how the effort to

support our American colleagues is going.

Anne Crocker