Resources for Flood Damaged Historic Places
It’s obvious that Vermont has been extremely hard-hit by Hurricane Irene. While the winds have been minimal, torrential rains flooded brooks and rivers taking out hundreds of roads and bridges all throughout Vermont. Our hearts go out to the families of individuals lost or injured, and to all the people of Vermont whose beloved places have been damaged.
As a start, we’ve listed below sites for getting up-to-date information about the current condition of Vermont, a checklist of things to do as the flood waters recede, and resources that can help you in cleaning-up and rebuilding.
The Preservation Trust also offers matching grants up to $500 for Emergency Conditions and Engineering Assessments for non-profit, municipally-owned and commercial historic buildings throughout the state. These grants are made possible by in part by the National Trust for Historic Preservation through the Daniel K. Thorne Intervention Fund. If you would like to apply, please contact one of our staff below:
Statewide Cultural Heritage Damage Assessment
The Vermont Historical Society hopes this notification finds you safe and secure. The devastating effects of tropical storm Irene on our state, communities and neighbors are coming to light and we are all wondering where to even begin.Effective communication and collaboration will be imperative to setting in motion the important work that lay ahead.To that end, VHS will work diligently with the cultural heritage community throughout the state to:
- Assess the damage to local historical societies, museums, and heritage organizations
- Provide assistance and support through the Cultural Heritage and Art Recovery Team and approved professionals and services
- Keep the affected organizations up to date and informed of services and aid available
If your organization or an organization you know of in a neighboring community has been impacted, please contact Jackie Calder, Curator at(802) 479-8514 or jackie.calder@state.vt.us or Lisa Evans, League of Local Historical Societies and Museums Manager at (802) 479-8522 or lisa.evans@state.vt.us.
Update on Libraries and Storm
Vermont Library Community,
I have received phone calls and emails from many of you and I am heartened by the community spirit of the Vermont library community and am inspired by your offers to help.
DOL staff members have been on the phone yesterday and today contacting libraries statewide to assess damage and needs following flooding. I am happy to report that most libraries are in fine shape. Some report water in the basement and damp carpets, but they are doing well. Libraries in some of the hardest-hit areas, including Brattleboro and Wilmington, are in fine shape, though there is major devastation in those towns.
The West Hartford Public Library sustained major damage. The children’s department on the lower level was completely submerged by flooding and is a total disaster. The main level of the library has at least 4” of mud. Library Director Aileen Gillette believes that 60% of the library collection has been destroyed. I plan to make a visit to Hartford tomorrow.
Post-Irene Message for Libraries
Greetings,
The Department of Libraries is closed today but DOL staff members are calling public libraries in the southern/central part of the state to assess damage. In some cases phone or internet service is not available.
If you have information to report about the status of your library (public/school/academic), please send that info to me at the email address below. We are compiling a spreadsheet of information about libraries. I am working from home today and you can also reach me via my cell phone at: 802-318-7889. We expect to be back in our offices tomorrow. Call us if you need any assistance or information.
At this point we know about significant flooding /damage in just one public library: West Hartford Public Library
There may be others.
Information for libraries who have damage/flooding:
CANCELLED: DOL E-Rate workshops in Ludlow 8/31 & Barre 9/1
DOL has decided to CANCEL and re-schedule the E-Rate workshops scheduled in Ludlow 8/31 and Barre 9/1
We will be in touch as soon as we have information about re-scheduling
CANCELLED: DOL E-Rate workshops in Ludlow 8/31 & Barre 9/1
DOL has decided to CANCEL and re-schedule the E-Rate workshops scheduled in Ludlow 8/31 and Barre 9/1
We will be in touch as soon as we have information about re-scheduling
Information for Libraries Experiencing Storm Damage to Collections
I want to remind libraries that they can get free 24×7 assistance/guidance from the Northeast Document Conservation Center in the event that library collections are threatened or damaged by flooding related to Hurricane Irene.
Disaster Assistance Hotline: 978-470-1010
See below information from the NEDCC Webpage:http://www.nedcc.org/disaster/disaster.php
VOKAL Open House at Norwich Public Library
There will be a VOKAL Open House on Thursday, September 15 from 1-3pm at the Norwich Public Library in Norwich, VT for anyone interested in learning more about our VOKAL Koha system (a project of the Green Mountain Library Consortium). We will be giving a brief introduction about the VOKAL project, demonstrating the VOKAL Koha ILS and then have time for anyone with a laptop interested in trying it out.
Green Mountain Library Consortium Info Session
Would you like more information on the Green Mountain Library Consortium (GMLC)? Or perhaps you are interested in one of our projects:
- ListenUp!Vermont: Downloadable audiobook and eBook service
- VOKAL: Open Source ILS project
- Mango: Online Language Learning
You are invited to attend a virtual informational meeting that will give a quick overview of GMLC and their current projects on Friday, August 26th at 11:00 AM.
Universal Class is Coming September 1
Reminder to Public Libraries:
The Department of Libraries has signed a contract with Recorded Books to offer Universal Class at no cost to all Vermont Public Libraries beginning on September 1, 2011. All citizens of Vermont who have access to the services of a public library are eligible to use this online learning resource for free in the library or from remote sites.