Lesson 5: ProQuest

Question 1

I entered “Les Miserables” in the search box and got 6,243 results. I reentered “Les Miserables novel” in the search box and narrowed the results to 1808. By choosing the Document Type “Article” the results decreased to 906. Under Subjects I chose “Literary Criticism” and got down to 140. I checked various articles. They loaded quickly, and the search terms were highlighted. The articles were very scholarly. The reading level of the articles available on this site would be too difficult for middle schoolers, but very helpful for teachers doing continuing education coursework.

 

Question 2

First I tried searching “Hurricane Sandy AND libraries” and got 971 results. I narrowed the Document Type to Reports, and started by choosing the Subject of Damage, since some of the impact will be damage, though that is certainly not the only kind of impact. In reviewing the results, I found that libraries were being used as supply collection sites and as places to  hold press conferences. I can infer some impact from this information: communities are recognizing their library buildings as stable, easily located, versatile public centers. The library buildings are being instantly repurposed to provide shelter, aid, and information to the public. This will create lasting good will toward the libraries, and instill in the public a visceral memory of the library as something they are grateful their town has; an important place in times of need.

 

I also found articles on specific aid for libraries such as this press release from New Jersey        Representative Frank Pallone (“. . .  the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the New Jersey Council for the Humanities an Emergency Chairman's Grant of $30,000. The grant will go towards repairing New Jersey's cultural infrastructure and historic institutions . . . In addition, many humanities organizations, like libraries, served as shelters, emergency supply distribution centers and charging stations during the storm. The funding may also go to these organizations to defray hurricane-related costs.”) and this note from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Hearing: “The Louisiana Office of Facility Planning and Control (FP&C) is responsible for $1.4 billion repairs or replacements of thousands of disaster-damaged facilities including hospitals, libraries and college campuses in Louisiana.”

 

I learned about an entirely new kind of library: “The USGS has helped develop a new tool using information from stream gauges called a flood inundation map library to assist first responders and the general public in knowing what areas will be flooded and how deep those flood waters will be for a given storm based on the NWS flood forecast. Real-time flood inundation map applications run flood simulations and create maps "on the fly" during a flood, using real-time data. The maps are freely available to anyone at any time.”

 

Next I searched for “Hurricane Sandy AND impact on libraries” and got 116 results. I was interested in this article on how libraries were immediately curating information about the storm’s impact on their communities. (Not surprisingly, they are focusing on virtual content which cannot be damaged by storms.)

 

'Hurricane Sandy: Record, Remember, Rebuild' Project

Targeted News Service [Washington, D.C] 29 May 2013.

According to Jon Voss, Historypin Strategic Partnerships Director, "At Historypin, where we seek to build community around local history, we hope to contribute in some small way to Hurricane Sandy recovery by providing a place online to share photos and recollections of how things were before, during, and after the storm. We know that archives, libraries, and museums play a critical role in preserving cultural and community memory, and we're delighted that SAA is joining us in this effort . . . Historypin invites individuals, communities, and local archives to share photographs, videos, and memories, with the goal of creating a rich record of life in communities and neighborhoods affected by the storm, a space to share memories, and a place to chronicle the re-building efforts. “

The article I was most interested in pertained to Hurricane Katrina, not Sandy. It seemed to come up in my results because it contained the word “Hurricane” even though I had specified “Hurricane Sandy” in my search. Regardless, it is clear from this introductory paragraph that with a little serious forethought, libraries can be the vanguard of information and organization in  disaster response. Although the research focused on medical libraries, the roles and skills fit all kinds of librarians. The article makes me wonder if the Rapid City Public Library is included in FEMA or other local disaster preparedness plans.

Library roles in disaster response: an oral history project by the National Library of Medicine*[dagger]false

. Journal of the Medical Library Association96.4 (Oct 2008): 343-50.

Through the process of conducting the oral history, an understanding of multiple roles for libraries in disaster response emerged. The roles fit into eight categories: institutional supporters, collection managers, information disseminators, internal planners, community supporters, government partners, educators and trainers, and information community builders.