[Preservenw] ALA to Hold 2006 Annual Conference in New Orleans

[Gary Menges]

For Immediate Release
October 21, 2005

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION TO HOLD 2006 ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN NEW
ORLEANS

(CHICAGO) The following statement has been issued by American Library
Association (ALA) President Michael Gorman:

"I am pleased to announce that we are planning to hold our 2006 ALA
Annual Conference in New Orleans.

"As you know, we have been following the situation in Louisiana very
closely over the last two months, and have been receiving almost daily
reports from local authorities on the damage and reconstruction efforts
following Hurricane Katrina. Last week, a delegation from ALA traveled
to New Orleans to assess the situation. The delegation found that
downtown, the French Quarter, and the Garden District had largely
escaped flooding, and that essential services have been fully restored
in those areas. They found the conference center and conference hotels
bustling with hundreds of workman repairing broken windows, installing
new drywall and laying new carpeting. Restaurants are reopening on a
daily basis, and plans are already underway for Mardi Gras in February.

"Our primary concern, of course, must always be the health and safety
of our members. Both the Louisiana Department of Public Health and the
Federal Environmental Protection Agency have found no cause for concern
on the part of visitors to New Orleans. By law, all of the ALA
conference hotels have conducted or will soon be conducting EPA air
quality audits and all restaurants must meet strict inspection
requirements prior to reopening. While much publicized, health
advisories regarding mold have directed to those re-entering flooded
houses.

"We realize that many sections of the city, and particularly the Ninth
Ward, have suffered tragic damage, and that many New Orleans residents
have lost their homes forever. If we truly care about the residents of
New Orleans, however, the best thing that the association and its
members can do is to go to New Orleans and lead the reconstruction by
example. Our conference will help to provide the jobs and tax revenues
needed if residents are to reestablish their lives and for the city to
fully restore services, including library services. We speak often of
how libraries build communities, and we now have chance to show the
country and world that librarians build communities, too.

"I hope that you will join me in New Orleans. I am certain that we will
have an extraordinarily productive and enjoyable conference, as we enjoy
the welcome and celebrate the rebirth of a city we all love.

"More information on the reconstruction in New Orleans, as well as
sources for further information on the health and safety issues
discussed above, will follow."
###
Contact:
Keith Michael Fiels
ALA Executive Director
312-280-1392
kfiels at ala.org

Macey L. Morales
PR Coordinator
American Library Association
50 E. Huron
Chicago, IL  60611
312-280-4393