In late October 2008, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) will discontinue using the American Hospital Association directory on MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus Go Local. NLM staff will develop a replacement page linking to selected resources for areas beyond the Go Local service area. The following alternative resources for hospital directory and service information are available: the American Hospital Directory, http://www.ahd.com/freesearch.php3; the US News Hospital Directory Search, http://health.usnews.com/directories/hospital-directory/; and UCompareHealthCare, http://www.ucomparehealthcare.com/hospital/.

In commemoration of the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, and in light of the current hurricane season, the Library of Congress announces a website titled “Learning from Katrina,” which provides insights for better responses to record and artifact damage by hurricanes.

On this site, http://www.loc.gov/preserv/emergprep/katrinarespond.html, visitors can hear seven interviews with professional conservators who helped salvage collections affected in August 2005.

For more information, see the Library of Congress news release: http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2008/08-148.html

The State Library of Louisiana established a blog on August 29 to provide a mechanism for libraries to alert the public and colleagues about their status during an emergency situation.

Louisiana Library Status Blog: http://prepare.lib.la.us/blog/