I learned today from the president of the Alabama School Library Association that at least 8 schools in the state sustained major damage or were totally destroyed in the tornado outbreak on 27 April 2011. There are many other schools that have sustained roof or other damage, and still several others that the ASLA has not yet been able to contact. The affected school libraries have lost many or all of their collections; they will need to be replaced along with the rest of the school infrastructure. In the meantime, many of the school librarians and other administrators are serving as focal points for the distribution of donated books to children who have lost homes and possessions.
I'm going to do what I can to help, and I'd be grateful if friends and colleagues would consider helping as well.
Officers and Board Members of the ASLA are collecting new and gently used books for distribution to schools and local relief efforts. If you would like to contribute, please contact them via their website.
There's also vendor-run effort to collect money for new books for library collections that will be chosen by the librarians themselves. The vendors are matching contributions. You can contribute online (via Paypal) at Alabama School Disaster Relief.
