Gulfport : personnel and citizens wanting to re-establish a new library
By Lakisha Briggs
After Katrina Newswire
GULFPORT— Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the city of Gulfport had one of the largest libraries in Mississippi , a 30,000 square-foot facility in the Harrison County Library System, the Gulfport Public Library. Since Katrina, residents of this 2 nd largest city in the state have had to rely on the 3,800 square foot branch in Orange Grove, located in northern Gulfport . Even before Katrina, that branch was considered inadequate for the needs of just Orange Grove, much less the entire city.
Now more than a year after Katrina, there are still no plans in place to rebuild or replace the beachfront library in downtown Gulfport . Apparently, before library officials can even consider trying to redevelop or rebuild, the plans must be approved by the Gulfport city council. So far it is still a waiting act leaving library employees and administration taking on new roles and positions to help develop alternative library services.
According to the head librarian of the Gulfport Public Library, Celia Barrett, her job duties have drastically changed since the devastation of the downtown library. Before, she handled the budget and administrative responsibilities for the library, but now her title doesn't really account for all she does. Her duties have increased, mainly because of the uncertain future of the library.
At the present time, Barrette's main goal is tracking down a temporary facility to provide library services. With help from government funds and grants, a temporary facility will ease some of the congestion of the much smaller Orange Grove public library.
Since the library does not exist anymore, the staff of the downtown library has been considerably downsized. About a third of the librarians of Harrison County library system have moved on to other venues due to the lack of space and library tasks existing in the one open library in Harrison County . Four librarians from the downtown library joined the staff in Orange Grove that at one time only had two people on its staff. For librarians such as Gwendolyn Hall and Frank Murphy, who were strictly reference librarians, now take on any task needed in the unconventional environment.
Another perspective often overlooked is that of the patrons that go to the library as often as possible. One of those patrons was Joan Boudreaux, a retired Gulfport resident that used to go to the downtown library at least once a week.
Boudreaux feels that reading is very important because, "as long as a person keeps reading they will never stop learning no matter what their age or what they're reading." She especially loves children's books.
Boudreaux even wrote a letter to the First Lady of the United States , Laura Bush, requesting funds for Gulfport 's library. She even received a response from Mrs. Bush's secretary that directed her to information on grants and proposal programs for library disaster assistance.
The status of the library in Gulfport still remains uncertain. Until a new facility is found and approved, Gulfport will remain a city without a major place for research or a main facility for the Harrison County library system. As for the individuals most anxious for a new facility, staff and patrons, all they can do now is wait.
Lakisha Briggs is a junior journalism major at the University of Southern Mississippi. The After Katrina Newswire is a project of the School of Mass Communication and Journalism at USM (www.usm.edu/afterkatrina). This story can be reprinted with this credit included.
http://www.usm.edu/afterkatrina/Briggs.html
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