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Page 63 Vol. 70, No. 3, Fall 2006 Mississippi Libraries
Jones County Junior College
Terrell Tisdale Library, on the campus
of Jones County Junior College, sustained
moderate damage from Hurricane
Katrina. An oak tree near the building fell
onto the roof, causing damage to the
façade. A few feet away, further roof damage
resulted in the loss of almost two
hundred books in a special collection of
works by Mississippi authors. The fiction
and children’s sections were decimated,
and many of the books destroyed are no
longer in print. College administrators
were the first to view the damage, and
their quick action in removing the wet
books from the shelves made it possible
to salvage many titles as well as the
shelves themselves. A roofing project was
in progress at the time of the storm, so
repairs were made quickly. The library
staff located replacements for most of the
titles from out of print booksellers, and
insurance funds were adequate to cover
those purchases.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community
College – Jackson County
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community
College – Jackson County Campus
Library received considerable water and
wind damage during Hurricane Katrina
resulting in the growth of mold to the collection
and structural damage to the building.
Faced with major repairs, MGCCC –
Jackson County chose to use the needed
repairs as a catalyst to renovate the
library. Repairs included the replacement
of the east wall, new carpeting, drywall
replacement, new windows, and fresh
paint. All shelving on the first floor was
replaced; the replacement and relocation
of the bookshelves enabled the library to
change its layout, affording a larger student
study area upstairs. Public service
areas were combined making it easier for
students to use. The reference and circulation
desks were combined to create a
centrally located information desk, and
two exhibit cases were purchased with
money donated by the Friends of the Mississippi
Library Association.
University of Southern Mississippi-
Gulf Coast Campus
Six weeks after landfall of Hurricane
Katrina on August 29, 2005, the University
of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast
resumed classes in leased space at the
HealthMark Center in Gulfport, Miss. A
library facility was established as part of
the temporary facility.
By leasing approximately half of the
total square footage of the complex, the
University of Southern Mississippi was
able to convert
a part of the
healthcare
facility into
instructional
and office
space as evaluations
were
made of the
university’s
heavily-damaged
Long
Beach campus.
The first
floor of the
Gulf Coast
library was
The replacement and relocation of the bookshelves enabled the library at MGCCC-
Jackson County to change its layout, affording a larger student study area upstairs.
Photo by Elizabeth Minter.
badly damaged
by Katrina.
The Mississippi
State Institutions of Higher Learning is
committed to the restoration of the Long
Beach Campus. The library hopes to reopen
on the Long Beach campus by the
fall of 2007.
Long Beach Public Library
The Long Beach Public Library is still
operating out of a FEMA trailer, but
library director Jeannie Ripoll reports that
a considerable amount of work has been
done on the rebuilding of the library facility
with completion expected within a matter
of months. One major problem has
been finding someone to do the air conditioner
work; the library requires new ductwork
as theirs was knocked to the floor
and subsequently destroyed by the flooding.
The city still has no funds to offer for
the rebuild, which is being supported by
monies from grants, donations, and the
library’s Friends group.
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