Tulane Libraries Recovery Center Open House Celebrates Restoration of Materials and Return to Library Shelves

Library Associates Companies Staff Lead Project to Reintegrate Salvaged and Restored Materials into Tulane University Libraries Catalog and Collection

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) May 7, 2008 -- Over 80 members of the Tulane University community and surrounding area took part in an Open House at the Tulane Libraries Recovery Center on April 16, 2008, sponsored in part by Library Associates Companies, its primary contractor. Tulane University Libraries and LAC staff welcomed attendees to the center, and guests were welcomed by Lance Query, Dean of Libraries. Provost Michael Bernstein addressed the group and spoke to the challenges faced by Tulane University's faculty, students and staff immediately following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Deb Schwarz, President of Library Associates Companies, spoke regarding the critical role that the contracted LAC Recovery Center team has in the project. Andy Corrigan, Associate Dean of Libraries, then recognized Tulane staff that have had an integral part in the project, including Donna Cook, Director of Technical Services, and EricWedig, Government Documents Librarian.

Leading academic institutions and public libraries from the New Orleans area attended the event, including representatives from Loyola University Library and History Department, the University of New Orleans History Department, Xavier University Library, the National Park Service, Amistad Research Center, the Rudolph Matas Medical Library (Tulane University), the LSU Health Sciences Library, the Ascension Parish Library, the Terrebonne Parish Library, the St. John the Baptist Parish Library, and Historic New Orleans Collection. Guests were able to view displays of materials that had been restored and see the Recovery Center work in action. Staff were pleased to be able to share their excitement with attendees on the progress being made, and to promote the availability of newly restored and reintegrated materials.

The Library Associates Companies Recovery Center team will process a projected 300,000 items from Tulane University Libraries that were damaged during Hurricane Katrina. This includes music scores, music books, microfilm, government documents, and archival materials. This multi-year project began in February 2008. LAC staff will also be cataloging and processing thousands of donated items that will be added to the collections at Tulane University Libraries. To date, over 3,000 items have been reinstated and will be returned to the library shelves in early May.

About Library Associates
Library Associates Companies (LAC) provides recruiting, consulting and project management within the rapidly-evolving information industry. With over 200 employees, more than 55% of whom are information professionals, we provide a full range of services to a client base that ranges from billion-dollar government agencies to global law firms, from leaders in the technology and automotive industries to public, academic and special libraries.

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