The LOC.GOV Wise Guide : 'Book Relief' for Katrina's Victims

The Library of Congress and First Book have joined to place millions of books into the hands of children and families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The Book Relief project began during the Library's National Book Festival in Washington on Sept. 24.

Florida Coast Line Lashed by the Tropical Hurricane of Sept. 1945

First Book is one of 85 organizational members in the national reading promotion partnership network of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Created by law in 1977, the Center for the Book, with affiliates in every state, uses the resources and prestige of the Library of Congress to promote books and reading. First Book is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to give new books to children in need across the country.

The Library also offers resources on its Web site related to disaster recovery for libraries as well as individuals.

The Science Reference Section is responsible for "Hurricanes: Selected Resources in Science," which includes a bibliography of important books and journal articles on the subject. There is also a list of Selected Internet Resources that can get you immediately to information.

The Library's Preservation Directorate is providing links to information on topics such as "Emergency Salvage of Flood-Damaged Family Papers." There is also an "Emergency Preparedness" page with links to "A Primer on Disaster Preparedness" and the "Heritage Emergency National Task Force," which, among other resources, tells how disaster-stricken libraries and cultural institutions can apply for federal grants and loans.

The Prints and Photographs Division has many visual items depicting hurricanes. The "Items in High Demand" page (scroll down to "hurricanes") provides links to photographs of hurricanes in Florida, Texas, Guam, Puerto Rico, Mississippi and even a place where hurricane disasters are rare: Massachusetts.

A. "Hangs On to Tree During Hurricane," 1954. Two yachtsmen hang desperately to a tree that is almost blown over by hurricane Carol at Wollaston Beach in Quincy, Mass., as they watch their yacht smashed up against rocks. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction information: Reproduction No.: LC-USZ62-106053 (b&w film copy neg.) Publication may be restricted. For information, see "Encyclopedia Britannica," (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/404_ency.html); Call No.: SSF - Storms--Hurricanes--Mass.--1954 <item> [P&P]

B. "Florida Coast Line Lashed by the Tropical Hurricane of Sept. 1945," 1945. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction information: Reproduction No.: LC-USZ62-106054 (b&w film copy neg.). Publication may be restricted. For information, see "Encyclopedia Britannica," (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/404_ency.html); Call No.: SSF - Storms--Hurricanes--Florida--1945 <item> [P&P]