Once upon a time New England was considered safe from natural disasters like earthquakes and tornadoes, but the past year has brought us wind shears, earthquakes, flooding, tornadoes and a destructive October nor'easter that have changed our perceptions of what can happen. Paying attention to the devastating experiences of 2011 can help us all, as individuals and as cultural institutions, be more prepared for a future natural disaster.
Join us for a panel discussion about sudden destruction, recovery, preparedness and civic support. Library Director Katie Krol of the Monson Free Library will brief us on the lessons learned from the direct tornado hit that her library took. John Ramsay, Assistant Director of the Springfield City Library will talk about SCL's response to a devastated city and its residents. Margaret Morrissey, Director of the Jacob Edwards Library in Southbridge will explain how a library can become a Disaster Recovery Center and in what ways the Southbridge library served the stricken residents of nearby towns. Gregor Trinkaus-Randall of the MBLC, Lori Foley of Heritage Preservation and Jack Sullivan of FEMA will add important information and participate in the discussion that will follow the first-hand presentations of our librarian colleagues.
Our registration system is designed for library staff. If you are not a Library Employee, please indicate your affiliation in "Comments." Thanks for your interest!