FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gift from Petersmeyer Family Foundation to support Family Place
Libraries in Gulf Coast States
NEW YORK, NY – December 1, 2005 – Americans for Libraries Council (ALC) today
announced it has received a generous gift from the Petersmeyer Family Foundation to support
the development of Family Place Libraries™ in the Gulf Coast states, enabling local libraries to
address the needs of at risk children and families including those affected by the recent
hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“The Gulf Coast Family Place Libraries™ initiative offers an immediate and costeffective opportunity to strengthen a vital part of the region’s educational and family support
structures,” said Diantha Schull, president of Americans for Libraries Council. “With a
commitment of $125,000 over three years, this initiative will enable the development of eight
Family Place Libraries™ in the region.”
Family Place Libraries™ is a nationally recognized service model that transforms the
public library into a center for early childhood information, pre-and emergent literacy, parent
education and family support and outreach to non-traditional audiences. It is a joint program
of Americans for Libraries Council (ALC) and Middle Country (NY) Public Library. There
are over 200 Family Place sites in 23 states across the country.
“Families devastated by Hurricane Katrina are streaming into public libraries across
the Gulf Coast,” commented Susan Petersmeyer, ……… of the Petersmeyer Family
Foundation. “They have few other places to turn for books, information and trusted
educational and emergency support. As many as 40 public libraries may have been destroyed
by the storm, and many more have been seriously damaged. But those which survived
continue to provide books and programs for local residents as well as individuals displaced by
the storm. They are hosting story hours in shelters, increasing their bookmobile services,
offering temporary cards, and partnering with emergency services agencies.”
ALC and Middle Country will work with state library development offices and local
library systems to train librarians, strengthen collections and outreach, and develop a regional
network of library-based Family Place centers for emergent literacy, healthy child development
and family support.
“The ability of public libraries to respond to these sudden and massive needs – a
remarkable yet largely untold story -- is helping the region overcome the storm’s damage and
enabling individuals and families to begin putting their lives back together,” observes Diantha
Schull. “It is a reminder of just how important public libraries are to most Americans, and of
how much they are taken for granted until they cease to exist. Suddenly residents feel their
loss of information, services, and friendly faces and helpful hands.”
“Public libraries can bring special assets to the effort of addressing basic child needs
such as good health and learning opportunities,” said Sandra Feinberg, director of Middle
27 UNION SQUARE WEST / NEW YORK, NY 10003 / T: 646 336 6236 / F: 646.336.6318 / alc@lff.org /
www.americansforlibraries.org
Country Public Library and co-founder of the Family Place Libraries™ project. “Contrary to
the traditional view of public libraries as book repositories intended mainly for school-aged
children and adults, libraries can serve everyone in the community, even infants and toddlers.”
Family Place Libraries™ is a nationally recognized model that transforms the public
library into a center for early childhood information, pre- and emergent literacy, parent
education and family support. The model reflects a new understanding of the crucial need for
developmentally appropriate stimulation and pre-literacy activities in the early years. The
Parent/Child Workshop, the core of Family Place, brings toddlers and parents or caregivers
together in an informal, interactive setting with child development professionals. It
emphasizes the role of parents as first teachers and presents strategies that promote healthy child
development and literacy.
There are some 200+ Family Place sites around the nation, with large concentrations
in Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Southern California. Family Place
Libraries™ are effective. Formal evaluations at Family Place sites have shown that more
families with young children use the library, participants spend more hours reading and
writing at home, and the number of books in the home increases.
Gulf Coast Family Place Libraries
The national attention generated by the hurricane disaster provides an opportunity not
only to restore and revitalize the Gulf Coast libraries, but actually to expand their reach and
effectiveness as fundamental parts of the community’s safety and well-being, both now and
into the future.
Americans for Libraries Council proposes to develop a network of Gulf Coast Family
Place Libraries as centers for emergent literacy, healthy child development, family support and
outreach to non-traditional audiences. Acting in collaboration with Middle Country Public
Library, ALC will select, train, support, link, promote, document and evaluate at least eight
Family Place Libraries distributed across the Gulf Coast states during a 18 month period
starting in December of 2005.
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Americans for Libraries Council
Americans for Libraries Council is a national non-profit that both advocates for libraries as
key local and national assets and implements programs that strengthen libraries as community
responsive institutions in the 21st century. Our programs and services have included forums
on the design and development of future libraries, training of local library advocates, and
professional development to strengthen community librarianship, with an emphasis on
services that meet the needs of children and youth, strengthen libraries as cornerstones for
community development and lifelong learning, and stimulate library use by new and nontraditional audiences. Two key national programs, carried out through our program division,
Libraries for the Future, are: (1) Family Place Libraries™, which transforms libraries into centers
for early childhood development, emergent literacy and family support; (2) the MetLife
Foundation Reading America™ program, a framework for community collaboration to promote
reading and intergenerational discussion among immigrant and refugee teen-agers and their
families through book and film discussions. Today, Libraries for the Future projects are taking
place in more than 220 communities in over 25 states, with an in-depth laboratory program in
the state of Arizona.
The Gulf Coast Libraries Renewal Fund
Dozens of libraries in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi have been destroyed or condemned.
Many others have been severely damaged. Parish libraries, county libraries and large urban
libraries have lost books, computers, furniture, equipment, and, most importantly, staff. The
rebuilding process will require substantial public and private assistance.
The Gulf Coast Libraries Renewal Fund is designed to enable both short and long term
redevelopment of the coastal states’ library infrastructure. The Fund will:
 raise private monies for immediate needs such as books, computers and building
repairs;
 assist libraries that are open to strengthen programs for children and families and to
help displaced families access vital information on health, housing, jobs and education;
 identify and convene experts who can assist with planning for reconstruction; and
 help stimulate new public investment for high-quality library services in the region.
The Gulf Coast Libraries Renewal Fund is managed by Americans for Libraries Council.
Over ninety percent of donations to the Fund will go directly to support library
redevelopment in the Gulf Coast. General and restricted donations are accepted.
Middle Country Public Library
Middle Country Public Library is a dynamic center for continuous learning that provides
information, resources and programs to reflect a wide range of views and meet the needs of a
diverse community. A skilled, creative and enthusiastic staff demonstrates professional
expertise, inviting on-going community dialogue to evaluate and improve services. Visionary
leadership, outstanding facilities and collaborative partnerships enable the Library to deliver
model services for individuals, families, children, teens, seniors, businesses and professionals.
Extensive technological resources, collections and innovative services support literacy,
economic independence, cultural enrichment, and family health and wellness. The Library is a
welcoming place, dedicated to excellence and to enhancing the quality of community life.
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For more information, contact:
Vandra Thorburn
Americans for Libraries Council
(646) 336 6236
vthorburn@lff.org
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