All of us at H.W. Wilson wish to express our deep sympathy with the people affected by Hurricane Katrina.

On June 23, during the American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans, the H.W. Wilson Foundation made a $100,000 donation to the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library System.

"We are so pleased to make this donation to improve conditions at the New Orleans Public Library," said William Stanton, President of the H.W. Wilson Foundation. "It is our hope that, after these changes are made, the people of New Orleans will be able to gather in a terrific public space to enjoy public programming, access to the world of electronic information, and all the other resources the library has to offer. Through our support, we hope to help the New Orleans library in their ongoing efforts to build and strengthen community, turning adversity into a net gain."

Additionally, The H.W. Wilson Company has granted free trial access to 28 WilsonWeb databases to the New Orleans Public Library System until July 2007. "We know that New Orleans libraries, in the spirit of rebuilding, will aim to bring their collections to the leading edge," said Harold Regan, H.W. Wilson President and CEO. "We're glad to help make that easier, with a whole suite of WilsonWeb resources that will bring both the on-site library and the virtual library that residents access from their homes up to top standards of range and quality."

"Because of the generosity of H.W. Wilson, the people of New Orleans will be able to gather at a greatly improved central library," said Bill Johnson, City Librarian for the New Orleans Public Library. "This donation will allow us to replace moldy carpeting in our community meeting spaces, upgrade furniture that is more than 40 years old, and rebuild our circulation areas to best serve our public. These changes, coupled with access to Wilson's electronic databases, will make a huge difference."

In November 2005, The H.W. Wilson Foundation also contributed $50,000 to the American Library Association's Hurricane Katrina Library Relief Fund. The ALA Hurricane Katrina Library Relief Fund is helping libraries in the ravaged Gulf Coast region to rebuild. More than 1,000 ALA individual and corporate members have contributed to the ALA fund, and the H.W. Wilson Foundation’s donation represents a significant addition to this worthy initiative.

In addition, we at H.W. Wilson will work with any library that suffered a major loss because of Hurricane Katrina. Please contact our Customer Service Department if you need to replace H. W. Wilson titles when rebuilding your collection.

To make a tax-deductible donation to the ALA Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, or learn more about relief efforts, visit www.ala.org/katrina.

Left to right: William Stanton, President of the H.W. Wilson Foundation; Michael Gorman, ALA President; Leslie Burger, ALA President-Elect; Bill Johnson, City Librarian, New Orleans Public Library; Harold Regan, President of The H.W. Wilson Company.		Left to right: Harold Regan, President of The H.W. Wilson Company; Bill Johnson, City Librarian, New Orleans Public Library.