Post Irene: Adirondack libraries need help

Children’s author, Kate Messner and her husband, a meteorologist, happened upon a heartbreaking scene in Essex County, New York. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, the Wells Memorial and Keene library branches have suffered great losses. The children’s collections are practically ruined from flood-waters, though I saw that at least one copy of Paddington has survived! Of course, children’s books are often kept closer to the floor where little people can see and touch and reach the books they love.

While I’ve never met Kate Messner, I have bought and enjoyed her books and am always amazed at her intuitively right sense of bringing people together around shared interests. In the old days, we would have called her a community builder.

Kate is using her blog and the children’s literature community to help replace children’s books and rebuild the library branches. If you’re a writer, a teacher, a librarian, a parent, a reader who remembers what Harriet the Spy, Black Beauty, or A Wrinkle in Time meant to you then you are part of the children’s literature community.

You’ll be amazed at the outpouring of support. If you’d like to help, please visit her blog for details and options on how. Also, if you know of other library branches that suffered similar devastation, please let Kate Messner know through this channel, too.

As always, thank you, Kate, for bringing people together and building community:

After Irene: A small-town Adirondack library needs your help.