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----- Original Message ----- From: "Howard Glasser" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, September 02, 2005 11:15 AM Subject: FW: Fwd: [NEAdiscuss] An update on the Amistad Research Center at Tulane in New > From: Judy Farrar <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Fwd: [NEAdiscuss] An update on the Amistad Research Center at > Tulane in New Orleans > Date: Fri, 02 Sep 2005 10:10:56 -0400 > > > >>My colleague, Bridgette Kelly, archivist at the UCC Headquarters in >>Cleveland sent this to me today and I thought it worth passing on to the >>community: >> >>Greetings, >> >>I just got off the phone with Brenda Square, Director of Archives & > Library at the Amistad Research Center (ARC). Just two weeks ago I > was down in New Orleans for the Society of American Archivists' annual > meeting, and I met up with Brenda for a tour of their facility. She > happened to give me her cell phone number in case I needed to contact her > while I was down there. > Proof that God does work in mysterious ways. The ARC is located in > Tilton Hall on the campus of Tulane University. >> > Here is the news from Brenda: >> >>Friday (8/26), Brenda encouraged the staff at the ARC to heed the > advice of evacuating. They exchanged phone numbers so they could contact > one another should the need arise. Mr. Hampton, the ARC's Executive > Director, was out of town on other business, so Brenda was sure he was > safe. > Saturday (8/27), Brenda was at the ARC taking down their art exhibit to > put the works in storage, and moving items to the second floor. She said > that thankfully, over the past few years they have been moving important, > vital records and collections to the second floor. "The off-site storage > is up high," Brenda said. > Sunday (8/28), Brenda made her way to a friend's house in Baton > Rouge where they rode out Katrina. She mentioned that she saw Sandra > Wallace on the highway as they were both leaving town. > Wednesday (8/31), Brenda was able to access the internet at a local > university campus. She was able to read Tulane's emergency web site > updates through that day, and that is all she knows about the status > of Tulane and the ARC. >> >>I talked to Brenda this morning and just a little bit ago at 4:45pm. > She is still unable to reach any of her staff by phone, and has not > heard any updates on Tulane or the ARC. I am acting as a point person for > her attempting to contact some of the staff, keeping track of Tulane's > updates, and keeping Brenda informed as much as I can. I have tried to > reach Mr. Hampton on his cell phone, but as general news updates show, the > 504 area code is giving the "all circuits are busy" recording. As of this > afternoon, Brenda and her family are on their way to her oldest son's > house in Dallas. > I said I would keep trying to make contact with the people she gave > me phone numbers for, and touch base with her from time to time. >> >>In general information, if you would like to keep track of how > Tulane University is faring, you may access their emergency web site at, > <http://emergency.tulane.edu>. The general synopsis is that the > university did not sustain devastating damage - downed trees, water > damage in some buildings, some roofing tiles damaged. Students were > evacuated before Katrina hit and have now been sent home. After five > days on campus, the emergency team is now in Houston, TX. Only the > bare minimum of security and facilities staff remain. Conditions in New > Orleans itself make it very difficult to begin recovery effort. The main > priorities now are, 1. support staff left in New Orleans; 2. re-establish > communications with constituencies ASAP; 3. begin the recovery process. >> >>Brenda's final comments before we hung up were, "Thank you all for > your prayers. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers." >> >>Sincerely, >>Bridgette >> >> >>------------------------------ >>Jessica Steytler - archivist >>Congregational Library >>14 Beacon St. Boston MA 02108 >>617 523 0470 x234 >>[log in to unmask] >> >> >> > > > Judy Weinland Farrar > Archives and Special Collections Librarian > University Library > University of Massachusetts Dartmouth > 285 Old Westport Road > North Dartmouth, MA 02747 > Phone (508) 999-8686 > Fax (508) 999-8987 > >