A Diamond in the Rough: Cleaning up New Orleans Public Library's Nora Navra branch
As the bus took us from the downtown Sheraton hotel into the more gritter parts of the city, I watched through the window as the landscape gradually changed from opulent bistros and busy skyscrapers to empty package (read liquor) stores, abandoned mom and pop groceries, and desolate small businessess like Liberty Bank (no pun intended) which is directly across the street from the Nora Navra branch.
Although this is my fourth time in New Orleans (twice I visited for Mardi Gras and once I visited Xavier Univerisity), I have never seen the New Orleans that looks like this. I can't imagine how the residents of the 7th ward must feel when they look out on this bleak landscape. Every house tagged with a spraypainted eyesore--a jumble of letters and numbers--whose decoding is now familiar to all who watched on CNN as each house was searched by relief workers during the height of Katrina's flooding. The "X" contained valuable information aiding the relief workers in keeping up with the dewellings that had already been searched. Inside the "X" could be found the name of the organization that searched the dewelling and what was found inside the dewelling (the "DB" denoting a person's final resting place).
I have never been to Saraejevo, Baghdad, or Darfur. But for the first time in my life, I began to comprehend the phrase "war zone". The abandoned streets, the inncously deserted homes, the empty elementary schools, the vacant street corners, the absence of a city bus all spoke to the horrific events that had transpired here.
Once we arrived at the Nora Navra Branch, we were instructed by Hands on New Orleans' volunteer crew "to be careful", "use common sense," and "work in pairs." Finally the volunteer crew explained how to use the equipment--respirators, goggles, work gloves, and disposable contamination suits. As we stood on the outside of the Nora Navra Branch we couldn't imagine the damage we would find inside. Ten months of mold had rendered every piece of physical equipment useless in that building. From the books to the shelving, from the furniture to the computers, from the walls to the carpets. Everything had to go. Until the Nora Navra would only be a shell of its former self.
The Director of this branch couldn't bare the sight of the devastation-- declining to be present while we were there. Another director of a different New Orleans branch library was there and during water breaks began to reminisince about the library's rich history as it was "one of the first public library branches to admit people of color". He recounted how popular storytime was so much so that the activity overflowed the library space dedicated to it. The very lawn were were standing on drinking our bottled water was once filled to the brim with wide-eyed children hanging on to the story-teller's every word. It was hard to imagine now.
As sweat poured from my forehead, I discarded books by the handfuls, the cartfuls, and even the trash canfuls. The titles sometimes leaped at me. Other times they slid past my glazed over eyes. But some of the author's names stuck with me. Terri MacMillian. I remember distinctly discarded the shelf that held her books. The same with Alice Walker. As titles fell into the trash pile against the curb, I noticed the ones I had read at one point in my life. The pile of books grew and had to be contained alongside the curb but not on the sidewalk. One industrial-sized dumpster was already filled with books.
We were serious workers. Little time for chitchat. Even during breaks no useless words passed between us. For me, it was a reminder of what human beings can accomplish when we are willing to sacrifice a little time and a few amenities like air condition and running water. Remarkably only a few of us in the group of fourty people had met each other before.
In less than 6 hours we accomplished what it would have taken a workcrew at least a week if not more to accomplish. I have never been more proud of my profession than in this moment. I hope this inspires others to contribute their time and money to the New Orleans clean up effort. They certainly need our help. The hardest part--rebuilding--is yet to come. The American Library Association and librarians from all over the country began the effort. We need your help to finish it.
Although this is my fourth time in New Orleans (twice I visited for Mardi Gras and once I visited Xavier Univerisity), I have never seen the New Orleans that looks like this. I can't imagine how the residents of the 7th ward must feel when they look out on this bleak landscape. Every house tagged with a spraypainted eyesore--a jumble of letters and numbers--whose decoding is now familiar to all who watched on CNN as each house was searched by relief workers during the height of Katrina's flooding. The "X" contained valuable information aiding the relief workers in keeping up with the dewellings that had already been searched. Inside the "X" could be found the name of the organization that searched the dewelling and what was found inside the dewelling (the "DB" denoting a person's final resting place).
I have never been to Saraejevo, Baghdad, or Darfur. But for the first time in my life, I began to comprehend the phrase "war zone". The abandoned streets, the inncously deserted homes, the empty elementary schools, the vacant street corners, the absence of a city bus all spoke to the horrific events that had transpired here.
Once we arrived at the Nora Navra Branch, we were instructed by Hands on New Orleans' volunteer crew "to be careful", "use common sense," and "work in pairs." Finally the volunteer crew explained how to use the equipment--respirators, goggles, work gloves, and disposable contamination suits. As we stood on the outside of the Nora Navra Branch we couldn't imagine the damage we would find inside. Ten months of mold had rendered every piece of physical equipment useless in that building. From the books to the shelving, from the furniture to the computers, from the walls to the carpets. Everything had to go. Until the Nora Navra would only be a shell of its former self.
The Director of this branch couldn't bare the sight of the devastation-- declining to be present while we were there. Another director of a different New Orleans branch library was there and during water breaks began to reminisince about the library's rich history as it was "one of the first public library branches to admit people of color". He recounted how popular storytime was so much so that the activity overflowed the library space dedicated to it. The very lawn were were standing on drinking our bottled water was once filled to the brim with wide-eyed children hanging on to the story-teller's every word. It was hard to imagine now.
As sweat poured from my forehead, I discarded books by the handfuls, the cartfuls, and even the trash canfuls. The titles sometimes leaped at me. Other times they slid past my glazed over eyes. But some of the author's names stuck with me. Terri MacMillian. I remember distinctly discarded the shelf that held her books. The same with Alice Walker. As titles fell into the trash pile against the curb, I noticed the ones I had read at one point in my life. The pile of books grew and had to be contained alongside the curb but not on the sidewalk. One industrial-sized dumpster was already filled with books.
We were serious workers. Little time for chitchat. Even during breaks no useless words passed between us. For me, it was a reminder of what human beings can accomplish when we are willing to sacrifice a little time and a few amenities like air condition and running water. Remarkably only a few of us in the group of fourty people had met each other before.
In less than 6 hours we accomplished what it would have taken a workcrew at least a week if not more to accomplish. I have never been more proud of my profession than in this moment. I hope this inspires others to contribute their time and money to the New Orleans clean up effort. They certainly need our help. The hardest part--rebuilding--is yet to come. The American Library Association and librarians from all over the country began the effort. We need your help to finish it.
posted by Deborah @ 3:15 PM
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