I confess, I am one of those readers who hoards books. An entire wall in the guest bedroom of my home doubles as the library. I walk in there and look at my books and run my fingers over their spines feeling vaguely like Scrooge McDuck in his money bin.
So it’s particularly devastating to me to read about what the flooding Hurricane Irene caused has done to some of the public libraries in the already-saturated Northeast. In particular, someone pointed out that many libraries have lost their entire children’s books sections, because all the books were kept on the bottom shelves where the kids could reach them.
A lot of us are experiencing tough financial times right now and just trying to stay afloat, but if you can spare a few dollars, a number of places are spearheading efforts to replace some of these libraries’ collections. Here are some places you can learn more about how to help:
After Irene: A small-town Adirondack library needs your help
Helping libraries damaged by Hurricane Irene (Vermont)
Libraries in Need after Hurricane Irene (New York)
Ruth Diaz Writes 