ALA Urges Library Supporters to Help Libraries Rebuild after natural and man-made disasters through the Adopt a Library Program
Adopt a Library
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, 300 libraries from outside the Gulf Region signed up for ALA’s “Adopt-A-Library Program" and were matched with 50 damaged libraries. Adopting libraries and organizations can assist through fundraising; by donating books and other resources such as supplies and equipment; and providing advice, volunteers, etc.
ALA is currently partnering with REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and Spanish Speakers on an Adopt a Library Program to match damaged or destroyed in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other locations in the Caribbean that are still trying to recover from the Hurricanes of fall 2017. We encourage libraries, friends of libraries and other organizations to adopt a library.If your library or organization is interested in adopting a library please fill out your information here. ALA will work to match you with a library in need. We are hoping that supply exceeds demand, and that we are able to match multiple libraries to those in need.
Adopt a Library in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Biblioteca Sister Anita Moseley en el Centro San Francisco
"We are so grateful for the Adopt a Library program. It is outstanding!!! After Hurricane Maria, this amazing initiative linked San Juan Community Library to the Marin County Free Library in San Rafael, California...this wonderful library reached out to our community library and fund raised on our behalf $5,000 to replace the broken entry way wooden roofs to our library. Hurricane Maria ravaged them, leaving us without protection from sun, wind and rain for our combined entryway/breezeway/sales book area. We are indebted to this program and to Ms. Jones and the Marin County Free Library! With their help, we regained our safety into the building and can now provide a safe and comfortable atmosphere for our patrons and visitors. This same area houses our sales book sections--an important part of our community library's annual revenue comes from these sales. And, our sales book service also brings us new members! " - Connie Estades, Executive Director, San Juan Community Library
For libraries in the Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, looking to be adopted, please fill out this form.
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Questions and inquiries, please contact Mariel Colbert mcolbert@ala.org
Thank you very much for helping out colleagues trying to recover to serve their communities again.
Past Efforts
Haiti Library Relief
From left ro right: Petit Goave's Library; Pyepoudre community Library; New Bibliothèque Haïtienne des Pères du Saint-Esprit Library
Through the Adopt a Library Program ALA raised and distributed $70,000!
